


The Heir

by jwriter819



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Kid Peter Parker, Loosely After CACW, This is an AU, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-02-26 10:29:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 51,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18715210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jwriter819/pseuds/jwriter819
Summary: Tony Stark came from a cold family where fists to the face were more frequent than hugs. In a world where superheroes are a thing and the Accords are a must, Tony Stark is saddled with finding an heir to his billion dollar throne.Utilizing the ‘Better Futures Act’ that allows wealthy business people to take in children from lower income environments and provide them resources they never would have Tony Stark takes in a young boy who he believes can take over for him one day.Watch as Peter, helps Tony shatter perception and realize that life isn’t always about ruling with an iron fist. Maybe the IronMan might just become an Irondad.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is a pretty crazy AU I've not yet seen before sooo here's to something new! If you like it please drop me a comment and let me know! 
> 
> Those definitely help me get new chapters up sooner, not even gonna lie!

_In September 2015, the United States government passed into law the Act that would allow wealthy people to take children from lower income families and give them opportunities that they would have never experienced. For some children, the "Better Futures Act" (BFAA) offered a new beginning while others found themselves being used for personal gain. This is the story of one boy who would forever become the face of this new movement. ___

Tony lay in the hospital bed scrolling through his phone. His left eye was badly swollen and he felt like he’d been through a colossal meat grinder. He moaned as he tried to sit up before falling back down. Stupid broken ribs.

“Boss, I’d recommend raising the bed if you desire to sit up,” his AI said. Tony rolled his eyes.

“Then do it!” Slowly the bed moved into a semi-sitting position and he finally felt like he could breathe. “Pull up the information on ‘Project Next Step’ and keep it on my personal server.” 

Immediately a massive folder appeared with hundreds of pictures of kids all across the state. 

“Boss, I suggest you do as Dr. Cho suggested and rest for a while longer. You have only recently--” Tony cut the AI off.

“Mute Friday.” The man pulled the images closer to him. “Filter by gender, boys only.” The images cut in half. “Ok, now zero in on boys between ten and fourteen. I don’t want anyone too old.” Again the images lessened. “Ok, so these are all of the boys that meet the criteria I requested?” 

“Yes, Boss.” 

“Now, I need you to filter by those who are scoring high on IQ tests and show a high aptitude in maths and sciences.” 

“That brings it down to fifty boys.” Tony nodded and shifted his shoulders trying to stretch them out. 

“Alright um, give me who you think would be the best fit.” Soon five boys were left on the screen.

“Based on your wonderful temperament and desire for apt learners I would suggest any of these five boys.” Tony’s eyes skim over the names: Miles Morales, Eugene Thompson, Abraham Gonzales...Harry Osborn? Tony threw that one in the trash immediately; it must have been an error. Then he saw the name, Peter Parker. 

“Why does this last one sound familiar?” 

“He was in the papers a couple of years ago for witnessing the robbery that killed his uncle.” Tony shook his head. 

“Nope doesn’t ring a bell.”

“His parents worked for SHIELD.” Tony nods. That was it! When he decoded SHIELD’s files he remembered that name. 

“Tell me more about him.”

“His parents Richard and Mary Parker are deceased via a plane crash. He lives with his aunt in Queens and attends Forest Hills Prep Academy. He is currently twelve years old and has a straight 4.0 GPA. He earned a 1570 on the SAT last year on his first attempt. He has always won the state science fair two years in a row.” 

“What were the projects?”

“They are variants of the same research, but he was studying to see how synthetic material could be used to treat medical needs.” Tony tisked and looked closely at the boy’s picture. There was something about the boy that he couldn’t place. “Should I schedule a round of interviews?” 

“No, contact his family let them know I’ll be taking the boy.” 

~/~

Tony found himself sitting on the lumpy couch staring at the brunette haired woman. Her jaw was tight and her eyes were zeroed in on him. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that she hated him...the bombshell he dropped probably meant that she hated him even more now. 

Oh well.

“Why Peter?”

“Because he’s perfect for what I’m doing. He’s smart, gifted in sciences, and can be molded into the heir that my company needs.” The woman closed her eyes and sucked in a firm breath. 

“He’s just a little boy,” she said sniffing.

“He’s a little boy who has the potential to change the world.” She shook her head. 

“He’s lost so much in his life already, please don’t do this.” Tony didn’t respond. “Please, can we work something out? He can spend the weekends with you and every night each week, but you can bring him back here. I’ll keep him fed and clothed and take care of his emotional needs.” Tony shook his head. 

“This requires full immersion into my lifestyle.” She took a deep breath and lifted her face so that Tony could see the red splotches all over her face. 

“I imagine you know that I am not in the highest tax bracket.” He nodded. “And I know because of that my uh Peter is eligible for removal under the ‘Better Future Act’,” her lip quivered and she started to sob. Tony did his best not to show how uncomfortable it was to watch her cry. He’d seen his own mother do it when he was sent off to boarding school, but as his father said this was for the greater good. She would get over it just like Maria Stark did. “I promised his parents I would always take care of him.”

“He will be well taken care of.” Her eyes narrowed at that.

“How? By giving him all the material needs in the world? There’s more to raising a child than that. He needs hugs, love, affection. Can you provide him with that Mr. Stark? Can you?” Tony didn’t let his face change. “I know you, Mr. Stark, I’ve seen you on TV and read all about you. You’re going to turn that boy into a mini version of corporate America. He’s going to lose that spark and that childlike innocence and you’re going to have a lifeless drone.” She took a deep breath. “Please don’t do this to him. Please? I’ll do anything!” Tony merely shook his head as the woman dropped on the chair and fell into sobs. 

He had the right to seek out an heir. He wasn’t the only person who was using the ‘Better Future Act’ as it was intended. Peter Parker was bright and brilliant. He wasn’t getting the opportunities to flourish that he needed, now Tony would provide them. 

“If you cooperate in helping the boy come with me quietly, I will double the monthly stipend that is required.” She scoffed from behind her hands.

“His name is Peter.” 

“I know that.” She looked up at him in disdain.

“Do you?” She shook her head. “He’s been through so much, please take care of him. Please?” 

“He will be safe,” Tony said. He hoped the kid came home soon because this was turning into a nightmare. 

~/~

It seemed like forever for the kid to finally get home, but he came sprinting through the door Tony felt his breath catch in his chest. The kid was so tiny and yet so exuberant. He had a head full of bouncy curls and glasses that seemed to be in desperate need of repair. 

“Aunt May there’s this awesome car parked outside! Ned wanted to touch it, but I wouldn’t let him,” he said as he scrambled into the kitchen. “I’m so hungry. I’m gonna eat like three sandwiches.” Before Tony really could say anything the woman was across the room and engulfed him in a hug. 

“Uh is everything alright,” the boy asked. She pulled the boy in for another hug and that was when his eyes landed on Tony. “You’re Iron Man!” 

“And you’re Peter Parker.” Tony watched the boy’s face go from awe to confusion to dread. 

“A-Aunt May? Uh, why is he here?” Tony winced at the boy’s voice cracking in despair. 

“You remember the ‘Better Future Act’? Mr. Stark here chose you.” The boy’s lip started to tremble and Tony knew he was about to cry. 

“You’re not going to cry over this,” Tony said firmly. The woman gave him a murderous glare and rubbed the boy’s face. 

“Mr. Stark is right Petey, you are getting a great opportunity. I’ve got you all packed up with some clothes to get you started. Just go and grab anything else you think you need ok?” The boy nodded and gave the woman another squeeze. 

Tony watched the boy go into the room and close the door. He had his eyes glued to his phone screen so they didn’t have to see May Parker glaring at him. After twenty minutes or so he was tired. 

Where the hell was this kid?

“You know you could stop looking at me like I’m some evil prick. I came here myself, talked to you face to face, and picked the kid up in person. Some would say that nice.” 

“Others would say that the government is wrong and that you’re just using your money to buy what you want. You’re going to destroy his life and you don’t even care.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware or not but I don’t need your consent and quite frankly anybody could take Peter away from you and they may not be as nice as I am.” She pursed her lips into a tight line, but Tony knew that he’d struck a nerve. 

“You’re right. I do appreciate what you’re doing for him Mr. Stark, but I hate that you can,” she said. “He’s my baby and yes he’s smart but he’s still a little boy and he needs me.” Her eyes implored the question she’d been asking for an hour. It bothered the man more than he’d ever admit. Tony nodded. 

“Granted that the boy does what is required of him I’ll allow visitation on weekends.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Stark, really. This will help him so much you have no idea.” Tony’s mind drifted to his mother hugging him frantically before he left for boarding school. He pushed the thought away.

“Well, I guess we should be going then. What is taking him so long?” The woman shook her head.

“Maybe he’s taking his time. It’s not easy to leave everything behind.” Tony clicked his teeth. 

“Friday, scan Peter’s room for heat signatures.” 

“No heat signatures detected Boss,” the AI replied. Tony stood up at the confirmation of his assumption. “I guess I’ll be going then.” 

“You’re going to let him just leave? You have to look for him,” she said. Tony shook his head. 

“Friday? Has Peter been obtained?”

“Yes Boss, Mr. Hogan retrieved him from a local deli roughly ten minutes ago.” 

“Why wasn’t I notified, Friday?” 

“Mr. Hogan had some trouble getting him into the car.” Peter rolled his eyes. 

“I imagined that he might do that so I took some precautions,” he said pulling up a hologram from his watch. There Peter was sitting with a red face in the back of his Towncar. My security apprehended him a few minutes ago. Thank you, Ms. Parker.” 

"Wait, what about his stuff?"

"When he can earn the right to visit he can pick them up then." Without waiting another moment Tony quickly left the apartment. He'd been dying to get out since he'd first entered it. With a slight spring in his step he walked down the steep flight of stairs as quickly as he could. He shook the dust off his pants when he went to the car.

As soon as he was outside he gave Happy the signal and the man pulled off. Tony couldn’t see Peter in the back, but he knew that the boy was inside based on the heat signature he was seeing through his sunglasses. 

Smiling to himself he slid into his bright orange Audi. He finally had an heir.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback and kudos! It's super nice and I love hearing your thoughts! Here's chapter 2!

Tony slid out of the elevator and found the kid on the couch. Happy was standing over him glaring. “What happened to you?”

“Kid bit me.” Tony snorted.

“He bit you? Do you have your tetanus shot?” 

“Shutup. I’m going now, you good or you need backup?”

“Me and the kid are good Hap. You can go.” The man hastily left the room leaving Tony and Peter to stare at each other. The man took note the kid’s ratty tennis shoes and jeans with holes on the edges. He’d get the kid a new wardrobe ASAP. Tony picked his leg up and leaned on the coffee table. “So Peter why did you run away?” The boy didn’t answer him. The man shrugged. “Ok, so I can talk while you listen. This is your home now and this is your new life. It will be a good idea for you to embrace this. I’m not here to ruin your life, I want to enhance it.” The boy scoffed. “He lives,” he said before snorting. “Anyway here are the ground rules. You’re free to access any place in the penthouse except for my office and my room. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. Happy’s going to drive you to and from school every day. I’m setting you up with a tutor to fill in any gaps you’re missing.” The boy’s head shot up.

“I get to to the same school?” 

“It’s a feeder into Midtown, right?” Peter nodded. “Then yes, that is as long as you follow the rules.” 

“Which are?”

“Your grades have to remain up to snuff, don’t cause trouble at all at school or at home, and no running away.” Peter rolled his eyes and looked at Tony.

“And what if I don’t?” Tony smirked at the kid’s moxy. “What if I don’t want to be your apprentice or whatever it is you want from me? What if I make your life hell like you’re making mine?” Tony totally realized that he underestimated this kid. He was small, but he was determined and thoughtful and Tony liked that a lot. 

“See uh I’m not really into the whole consequences thing. I’ve always been a better rule breaker than rule maker, but you see kid I have a plan. I need an heir who I can groom who I can give the best opportunities to who can be better than I ever have been. Someone with a squeaky clean image but can rule a boardroom. I believe you can be that person, but if you want to make this difficult then you’ll find that I’m not as pleasant as you’d like.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I’m planning on letting you see your aunt every weekend for two hours at a time, but since you pulled that little stunt today you won’t be visiting her for a month.” Peter’s eyes grew wide and Tony saw the tears pool in them. “Don’t let one tear fall.” Peter wiped his eyes and nodded. “We have an image to uphold and you’re not going to be known as the ‘crying heir’, got it?” Peter wiped his eyes and nodded. “Good. Also, I hate that bobblehead routine you do. Open your mouth and answer me, yeah?”

“Yes, sir,” Peter said softly. 

“I’ll have something delivered for you for dinner, what would you like?”

“I’m not hungry,” Peter said in a small voice. 

“Nonsense, you need to eat to give yourself that good brain food. Now, what would you like?” The boy opened his mouth but Tony made him shift with a glare. 

“Chicken Parmesan?” 

“Is that a question or a statement?”

“I’d like chicken parmesan for dinner,” he leveled. Tony nodded. 

“Friday, please order the food Peter has requested. Also, please schedule an appointment with the tailor and our stylist to get Peter fitted with a new wardrobe.” Tony turned to leave. “Make yourself at home kid. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Y-you’re not going to eat with me?” 

“No, why would I?” 

“Well um, my family always eats together,” Peter said. 

“Well, we’re not family Peter. This is business. It’ll be good for you to learn that sooner rather than later,” Tony said walking away. 

~/~

Tony woke up form a long night in the lab and went upstairs in search of coffee. His hair was moving in every direction as he yawned. He blinked his eyes a couple of times before seeing a familiar ratty shoe on the floor. Tony rolled his eyes, the kid hadn’t been there twenty-four hours and he was already leaving his crap everywhere. As he moved closer Tony realized that the owner of the shoe was also on the couch. 

“Kid’s already falling asleep on the couch.” Tony reached down and shook the boy. “Hey get up!” Groggily the boy sat up. 

“Uh hi.” 

“Why are you asleep on my couch?” Peter rubbed his eyes and looked around. 

“I thought I was supposed to sleep here.”

“Kid, you have a room.” 

“Oh, I didn’t know.” Tony sighed. 

“Why would I bring you to this...you know what nevermind. Come on up you go.” The boy followed him groggily down the hall. “This is your room.”

“Wow!” Tony rolled his eyes as the boy poured over the items in his new room. “Is this all for me?” 

“Yep, so from now on sleep in here.” Peter nodded and Tony left the room. He turned on a dime. “Oh uh, Haps gonna take you out to get some stuff today. Don’t stress him, ok? Just do what the people ask.”

“What people?”

“Just go with it kid,” Tony said. The kid was like the king of 20 questions. 

~/~

Peter sputtered as he flopped down on the new bed. It was so soft and yet he hated it. He hated everything about it. Sure the sheets were red and maybe that was his favorite color. Maybe the shelves did have a bunch of intriguing books, but that didn’t matter either. It definitely didn’t help that he got a new Starkphone and a new Stark laptop. None of that mattered. 

This wasn’t his home and these weren’t his things. 

He flopped backward on the bed. Why had he been so stupid and left the bag May packed in his room? He should have at least taken it. Now he didn’t know when he’d ever get to see that again. He toed off his new sneakers and let himself fall back onto the bed. Mr. Stark already had given him some reading to do before their lab session the next day. 

Normally that wouldn’t have been an issue, but Peter was exhausted. He’d spent the whole morning being poked and prodded by stylists and tailors then shuffled around to various specialists who ran IQ tests and other aptitude measurements before he was finally sent to his room to put everything away before dinner arrived. It was taking all he could to stay awake.

“Um, Friday can you play a little Bruno Mars while I read?” 

“Sure Peter.” Laying back on the bed Peter let himself at least enjoy the reading on mechanical engineering. Some of the concepts were hard to grasp and he made a note to ask Mr. Stark about it, but for the most part, he loved it. 

He continued to read until well after the sun went down. “Peter Boss is requesting your presence in the living room.” That was weird. Pushing himself off the bed Peter walked out into the long hallway and followed the unfamiliar path towards the living room. He found Mr. Stark standing staring out the window. 

Well, that’s not ominous at all, he thought. 

“You uh called for me Mr. Stark?” The man turned around in his navy blue suit with a look that made Peter gulp. 

“Is this some type of game to you? 

“Uh um n-no sir,” Peter managed to get out. The man rolled his eyes. 

“Stop sniveling, kid. It’s not becoming.” Peter gulped. “Friday read me an excerpt from Peter’s assessment of vibranium this morning.”

“Vibranium is one of the most rare metals in the world. It’s a metal that possesses extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and releases large amounts of kinetic energy making anything that binds to it virtually indestructible,” the AI read off. 

“That’s enough Friday.” Peter was thoroughly confused. 

“What’s wrong with that? I don’t understand,” Peter said. 

“Do you think I brought you here to write me a synopsis? I could have gotten that information off of Wikipedia. You are being groomed to take over the most exclusive company in the world and you think this is what I wanted?”

“You wanted an assessment and that’s what I gave you,” Peter said quietly. 

“I’ve read your science projects. They’re thorough and not missing any details unlike this," the man said with disdain. "Let's not forget your glaring grammatical errors. This is elementary and pedestrian. I don't want to see anything like this again." 

"Yes, sir." 

"I want work like what got you here and that’s what I expect. Am I clear?”

Tears stung the back of his eyes. “Yes, sir,” Peter said quietly. 

“Do it again and I wanted it done right this time. Make sure you have it ready before breakfast tomorrow so I can look over it before our lab time.” Peter’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s almost dinner time and I haven’t even finished the reading you already gave me.” The man shrugged.

“Better get to it then. Besides, I didn’t give you all this high-end tech for you to just sit around wasting time. Got it?” Peter felt like he was running in quicksand.

After being dismissed Peter went back to his room and started to read the rest of the pages he was supposed to. He had to go even faster to accommodate for having to redo his vibranium assessment. 

He pushed himself farther than he knew he could go. He read straight through dinner and had Friday read to him while he was in the shower. He was almost done when he plopped down at the desk chair. Rubbing his eyes he blew out a sharp breath. All he had to do was the assessment now. 

~/~

Gasping Peter sat up and looked around. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned at the sight of the sun rising. “Oh no! Friday what time is it?” 

“It’s 6:37 am Peter.” 

“What time is breakfast?” 

“You are expected to be dressed and ready for the day at 7am.” Peter felt tears come to his eyes. He hadn’t gotten a chance to work on the assessment at all. He tried to will himself to not panic, but it was hard not to. Mr. Stark was going to be furious! 

“Think Peter, think!” He scoured his brain for ideas. “Uh, Friday, if I dictate, can you um type what I say?” 

“I can.”

“Oh, that’s great! Ok, um here we go!” Peter managed to take a shower, brush his teeth, and get dressed whilst dictating everything he knew about vibranium. In those twenty minutes, he compiled a two-page assessment with origins, risks, and durability factors. “Friday please format and send that to Mr. Stark.” He hoped that it would suffice as he ran out into the kitchen where he knew the breakfast would be. 

Sitting at the table Peter dug into the eggs benedict and sliced fruit. He was going to need all the help he could get later. As he sat at the table, he couldn’t stop himself from noticing how big and empty the room was. There was no one to keep him company and everything looked so sterile.

Even with a gourmet meal in front of him, Peter missed his aunt’s runny and overcooked eggs. 

He sighed, this must be what business was like.

~/~

“So you’re staying with Tony Stark?” Peter shrugged and switched his book out in his locker for what he needed for those he needed for the night. “Dude you’re going to be his heir? How nuts is that?” 

Peter sighed and pulled the itchy sweater down from his neck. It was one of the new outfits he was being forced to wear. 

“Yeah.”

“So you live with him now?”

“Yeah,” he said again. He wished he was as excited as Ned was. 

“Wow, I mean I heard about Better Futures but I didn’t know it’d ever happen to one of us.” Peter nodded. “Will you still get to see May?” 

“On weekends for a couple of hours if I do what I’m supposed to.” 

“That’s insane!” Ned sighed. “At least your aunt will get some help financially.” Peter turned to look at his friend.

“What do you mean?”

“You know the other part of Better Futures is that the donor has to pay the family every month.” Peter sighed.

“This sounds like I’m an indentured servant.” 

“That’s pretty much what it is,” Ned said. “They get your brains and your aunt gets money.”

“I wish there was a way out of this. I mean we’re in the seventh grade and my whole future is set just like that? I don’t even get a choice.”

“Dude, I mean it could be worse. You could be living with someone like Justin Hammer. Imagine that, doomed to deal with crappy knock off tech and a guy who struts around all the time? Or you could live with like one of those think tanks that make you do experiments and crunch numbers all day. I mean I read some articles somewhere that some kids end up sleeping in like a barracks or something. At least this way you get to mostly stay the same.” Peter sighed. He hadn’t considered any of that not really. All he knew was that he was leaving the only home he’d ever really known and the closest thing to a mom that he had. 

Peter sighed as he glanced down at his ‘clean’ knew attire didn’t feel right against his skin. The clothes fit him perfectly, but they didn’t feel like him. 

“So can you hang out today?” 

“No, I have tutoring after school.”

“What about this weekend?” Peter sighed. 

“I’ll ask, but I don’t know. Things are pretty intense.” He remembered the strict scheduled that had been laid out for him. It consisted of rigorous tutoring sessions, mandatory time in R&D, plus weekly projects. He was barely keeping his head above water as is and it was only day two. 

“Just ask. I mean you clearly need a break,” Ned said. “Dude you look like a zombie.” Peter shrugged. He’d tried to ask Mr. Stark for a break when he saw the schedule but the man only shrugged and told him that businesses weren’t run by the weak. Peter figured that meant he had to learn to be tired. 

Peter felt the alarm on his watch vibrate and sighed. He turned to walked toward the front of the school and found the black Towncar waiting for him as usual. Peter and Ned did their handshake on the steps of the school.

“See you tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, call me if you can,” Ned said. Peter nodded and walked across the parking lot towards the car. He was almost there when his foot collided with something causing him to sprawl forward and land face first on the ground. 

“Oops,” he heard a voice say. Rolling over he grabbed his face. Gingerly he put his hands against his lips and cursed when he saw blood. 

“You ok?” Peter looked up seeing Happy in his usual black suit. The man pulled him up by the arm and dusted him off. He put his hand on Peter’s chin and whistled. “That’s gonna be sore for days, kid. Those braces got you good.” Peter sighed. “Come on, let’s get you home so you can clean up.” 

Peter slid into the back of the car and pulled his knees to his chest. He really wanted May right now. She always would give him cinnamon spiced tea when he had a bad day at school. May never cared what kind of shoes he was wearing or how fast he could calculate the digits of pi and he loved her for it. 

“So who was that kid?” Peter looked up and wiped his face quickly. 

“No one.”

“Come on, I saw that kid stalking you like a lion waiting for an antelope.” 

“Just some kid.”

“He gives you trouble a lot?” Peter shrugged. “Well, I’m going to have to tell Boss about this.” That got Peter’s attention.

“What? Why?” Peter felt his heart starting to beat rapidly. The last thing he needed was for Mr. Stark to think he was weak.

“Because you’re bleeding and in case you haven’t noticed he’s a massive control freak.” Peter sighed and pushed himself back further in his chair. This was going to suck. 

~/~

Tony sat staring at his holo screen. His eyes were pouring over the details from Peter’s assessment on vibranium. It actually should be a fairly straightforward assessment, but the kid seemed like he was having trouble giving Tony what he’d asked for. 

“Friday did Peter engage in any leisure activities yesterday?

“He spoke to his aunt on the phone for roughly an hour.” Tony clicked his teeth. The kid wasn’t focusing. 

“Block his phone from calling May Parker until otherwise noted and notify me when he tries to build a workaround.” 

“Done.” 

“Boss?” Turning around the man saw Happy enter the lab with the boy practically glued to his side. “The kid had a little mishap today. I thought you should know.” Tony took a better look at the kid. His jeans were scuffed and his face had some bruising, but his lips took the worst of it. Those were definitely going to take some time to heal. 

“What happened?”

“He--” Tony cut the driver off.

“No, I want him to tell me.” Peter started to shift between his feet which annoyed Tony to no end.

“I fell,” the boy said softly. Tony clicked his teeth.

“Is that so. Did you not see the ground or were you so tired that your legs stopped working?” Peter’s eyes looked up at him marred with confusion and irritation. “Well?” 

“I just tripped.”

“Ok, well ‘Mr. I Just Tripped’ don’t let it happen again. I’ve got enough to deal with without you coming home bloody and bruised. Go get cleaned up and head down to R&D.” The boy didn’t look back before he stomped away. 

Tony watched Happy glare at him as soon as the kid walked away. “That was kind of rough don’t you think?”

“No. The kid needs to pay attention and I’m tired of it.” Happy walked across the room and stood in front of him. Tony could see that the man was developing a soft spot for the boy.

“He’s a kid Boss. He may have the brain of a grown man, but he's a kid." 

"I know that Happy."

"Do you? I mean that schedule he's on...that would drop Marines and they're built for that stuff." Tony rolled his eyes. He'd been on a similar regimen when he was younger and it worked out perfectly for him. "And Boss? The kid he didn’t just trip.” That got Tony's attention.

“What do you mean?”

“Some kid tripped him when Peter was walking to the car.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“And you didn’t say anything? Happy what am I paying you for?” The man sighed.

“He’s a good kid Tony. I’m just saying give him a break. He’s probably not used to handling all of this on his own.”

“He’ll learn.”

“Like you did?” Tony glared at his driver. “I don’t mean to cross any lines, but we all know how you turned out from handling things on your own. If you want this kid to be better you’re going to have to help him.” Tony rubbed his eyes. That did make sense. He didn’t know what he was doing. Not one bit. 

“Friday is Maya Hansen still in the building?” 

“Affirmative.”

“Send her up to my personal lab, please.” Tony looked around his lab and let out a frustrated grunt. He had everything planned out and he was going to follow the model that led him to success to a T. The problem was the kid wasn’t fitting into the puzzle at all. 

When Tony was seven he was sent away to school. It seemed terrible at first, but he was able to quickly excel in his books. Sure he didn’t have any friends, but he was able to learn at a rate far superior to his peers. That’s what he wanted for Peter. His IQ test gave him a score that placed him in the rarified air of having an IQ nearing Einstein’s and yet the kid was giving him lackluster work. 

Tony heard the door to the lab open. Happy must have left because when he turned around the man was gone. Instead, a curvy brunette walked in with a less than enthusiastic look on her face. “You rang?” He smirked at the disgraced scientist. Her work had given her a chance at greatness, but her desire to show the world at any cost had left her with very few pickings for job opportunities. 

“I have a proposal for you.” The woman’s eyebrows raised. “I’ve recently taken in a charge and I need you to assist him.”

“Like a lab assistant? You’re smoking. I’d rather be a barista.” Tony rolled his eyes. 

“No, I mean I want you to teach him, guide him, and help him manage his life. He’s extremely gifted and has an IQ that rivals my own, but I need him to be successful.”

The woman looked at the ceiling like she was contemplating things. “How old is he?”

“Just turned twelve.” 

“You want me to be his nanny?” Tony smirked at her. “No, not happening. I have two Ph.D.’s and over twenty years of experience.”

“Maya you always wanted to change the world. This is your chance.” He knew that the woman didn’t have much of a choice. She’d come to him earlier in the day asking for a job because she couldn’t find one anywhere else.

“I don’t know the first thing about kids, Stark.” 

“You’ll learn. I mean he’s twelve, not six. He needs guidance and reminders, not diaper changes.” Tony realized she needed some prodding. “Friday, can you get Peter in here?” To his surprise, the boy appeared only seconds later with his sweater off and his button up shirt untucked.

“Here!” Tony raised his eyebrow at the boy's unkempt appearance. He'd made it clear that the kid should look presentable unless he was he in his room.

“Shouldn’t you be in R&D?” The boy’s cheeks flushed and he bit his lip. Tony winced because that had to hurt, but the boy either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “Well?”

“I was um in the bathroom.” Tony chuckled and glanced at Maya who seemed embarrassed for the boy. 

“Well I guess you can’t stop nature. Anyway, Peter, this is Maya Hansen.” The boy nodded shyly. “Ms. Hansen here thinks that you are not smart enough for her to teach."

"I didn't say that Stark." Tony kept his eyes on Peter ignoring the woman. This was a test and Peter needed to pass. 

Tony cleared his throat and leveled a sharp look at the twelve-year-old. "Peter, what is pi to the ninth digit?” He saw the boy scowl before he opened his mouth. 

“3.14159...2...6...5,” the boy said working through it in his head. 

Tony saw Maya nod in recognition. “Good,” he said. Tony did his best to ignore how the boy’s face lit up at the praise. 

“If log10s equals 4 then s equals what?” Tony smirked when the boy made a face at him.

“One thousand,” Peter said quickly. Tony offered the kid a smirk and a nod. Test passed. The woman threw up her hands.

“Fine," Maya said shaking her head, "but I don’t do bodily fluids. Kid gets sick and you're on your own.” Tony rolled his eyes, but Peter’s mouth dropped.

“Don’t scare him, huh? Anyway, Peter Maya is going to be your guide of sorts.” The woman rolled her eyes.

“I’m your very expensive nanny, kid. Expensive and very overqualified.” Tony could tell by the scowl on the boy's face that he definitely didn't think he needed a nanny, but Tony didn't care. This wasn't about his feelings; it was about preserving the Stark line and procuring Tony an heir.

It was like his father always said: "A man won't be remembered by what he did, but who he left behind to take his place."

And Peter would ensure that the Stark name and brand would continue for generations to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...you guys like the Maya/Peter connection? I haven't seen any stories with them together so I thought this could be fun. 
> 
> Don't worry...Rhodey and Pep will show up soon enough. 
> 
> Next chapter...a glimpse of Irondad? Maybe? ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Maya was a godsend. He didn’t know how she got him what he wanted and needed but she did. In the two weeks since she’d been hired she helped him get his assessments up to Mr. Stark’s standards and she helped to convince Mr. Stark that working Peter to death wouldn’t benefit anyone. 

Due to her Ph.D.’s Mr. Stark agreed to trade her for the tutoring sessions that didn’t include language which was a major relief. Instead of being holed up in one of the conference rooms for hours on end Maya took him to museums, the planetarium, down to R&D, and a myriad of other useful but less boring endeavors. 

His favorite part though was that she let him call Aunt May every day on their exercise walk. Since was still prevented from seeing his Aunt getting to talk to her was like a magical gift. The woman reminded him of the sweeter parts of life and that numbers and expectations weren’t everything. Peter loved his Aunt May and he loved Maya for giving the woman back to him.

That’s how they found themselves walking the streets of New York with ice cream dripping down their hands. Every day they went out under the guise of exercise, but it was really to give Peter a chance to be a kid and to talk to his aunt without Friday listening in. For one hour every day he got to be free. 

“You know your hair looks like a brick like that,” she said between licks on her ice cream. Peter shrugged.

“I know, Mr. Stark said that I had to cut it or gel it. I chose gel.” 

“Maybe we can put some mousse in it so that it looks curled but not like it’s about to break off your head.” 

“Ok.” She smiled down at him in a way that Peter hadn’t remembered many adults doing to him. Sure he was smart, but most adults found him to exuberant and annoying. Maya didn’t. She loved answering his questions about life and science and she was even better at chemistry than his teachers. With her help, she was excelling in more ways that he could count. 

“And kid, we’ve got to fix those shoes.” Peter shrugged at his K-Swiss white sneakers. “I mean they look nice, but you look like an old man. Do you want a pair of Nikes?” Peter nodded.

“Oh yes, I do! I hate these things. They’re so soft but they have no support like my feet keep sliding.” Maya reached out and ran her fingers gently through his gelled hair. 

“Well let's go get you some shoes.” Peter flinched. He didn’t have any money to spend on shoes. Mr. Stark gave him money for lunch but that was it. 

“I um don’t have any money.” 

“Peter,” she said laughing, “you live with a billionaire. You have more money than you’ll ever know what to do with.” Peter eyed the plastic card she had in her hands. “How do you think I pay for all of our trips? Come on, let’s go before dinner.” They quickly found a shop that sold a bunch of shoes and Peter felt his eyes welling up. 

Maya was being so nice to him. No one else in Mr. Stark’s circle treated him nice. Not like this anyway. 

“Do you like these?” Peter looked up at the pair of red and blue high tops. “They look comfy and will probably match the sweaters you have.” Peter nodded. “Size seven?”

“Yes, please and um can we get a black pair and a regular white pair?” She smiled and headed to the register. Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw a track jacket that was black with blue and white stripes. Before he could stop himself he grabbed the smallest one he could find and handed it to Maya. 

“Good choice Peter.” He smiled and took the bags from her as they left the store. He’d finished his ice cream before they entered the store for fear of tripping over it and watching it crash to the ground. 

“Hey Maya, my friend Ned is having a party on Friday, do you think Mr. Stark will let me go?” 

“Probably not Peter,” she said.

“He goes to parties all the time. It’s not going to be crazy, just something small at his house.” 

“I tell you what, I have an idea but you’ve got to flow with me ok? We can make this work just trust me.” Peter nodded. 

~/~

Tony was staring at the recent general assessments from Peter. He had to admit the boy was growing and developing at a rate that pleased him. Maya was definitely working to his benefit. Now all he had to do was to get the woman to stop undermining him. They had to think he was stupid to not notice how eager the boy was to go for a walk every day, but it was working. There was definitely no doubt about that.

Peter was excelling and he was giving him minimal problems. So that was a success. 

“Boss, Peter and Ms. Hansen have entered the Tower. Should I send them up?” 

“Yeah Fri, go ahead.” Moments later he saw Maya walk in with Peter standing next to her. He would have to figure out a way to get the boy to stop being so timid. “So what’s the progress on what you learned today?” Peter cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. Tony nodded. The boy was learning. 

“We discussed several of Dr. Banner’s papers on gamma radiation. I was fascinated by---” Tony cut the boy off and glared at Maya. 

“Gamma radiation, really? Haven’t you learned enough about this already? Did you not get your fill with Aldrich?”

“You’re overreacting. Understanding gamma radiation is the key to unlocking genetic mutation. We can help the world in ways we never imagined!”

“It’s a pipe dream,” Tony scoffed back.

“It’s a real science. Don’t worry, Peter wasn’t reading my research, he was reading Banner’s. You know, your long lost buddy.” Tony slammed his fist on the workbench.

“You will not fill my kid’s head with these outlandish notions! Thousands have tried and failed and most of them have gone crazy or died! Peter won’t be one of the casualties!” The woman glared at him. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Stark, very clear.” Tony took a deep breath.

“From now on, all assignment deviations go through me and I want a written report each day,” Tony said. Tony was rubbing his face when he saw Maya motioning for Peter to do something. 

“Mr. Stark?” 

“Yes, Peter?” 

“Um, my friend Ned he’s my best friend. His birthday is tomorrow and he’s having a party on Friday night I was wondering if you’d allow me to attend?” Tony bit his lip. The kid was downright shy, maybe a party would be good for him. Then again the parties Tony went to when he was his age were how he got his start as a raging alcoholic. “I um know that Dr. Watson reported to you that I am shy sir. I’m working through that. I believe my attendance at this party could assist me greatly.” 

“How did you do on the foreign language assessment yesterday?” Peter gulped.

“I um did well on the written portion, but I um got a 75 on the oral part,” he said apprehensively. Tony put his hand over his face. If this wasn’t dejavu he wouldn’t know what was. For him, though it ended with a pulsing cheek, but it didn’t have to be that way for Peter. 

“You may attend your friend’s party.” Tony smiled unintentionally as the boy smiled wider than he had seen him do in the weeks that he had been there. The boy was across the room and giving him a hug before he could stop it. 

“Thank you so much!” Tony gently gave the boy a pat on the back. 

“Why don’t you come help me with this armor before your dinner arrives?” Peter’s eyes grew wide. Tony chuckled, he never let the boy near his armor. 

“Wow! I’ll be right back, I’m going to change!” Tony looked up to see Maya smirking at him.

“What? The kid’s been working hard.”

Maya quirked her eyebrow at him. “Your kid, huh?”

Tony turned around to his screen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Before the hologram could appear the woman was again standing in front of him. 

“Sure you don’t,” she said with a smile on her lips. “You’re not fooling me Stark. You care for him far more than you’re letting on.” Tony kept his gaze square. 

“If you want to get technical he is technically on loan to me so,” the man said feeling his heartbeat in his chest. The woman leaned in. 

“Keep telling yourself that. All I’m saying is if you let him know it will probably make this much easier than you think.” Tony was so done with this conversation. 

“Goodnight Hansen.”

“Goodnight Stark,” she said exiting the room. 

~/~

Peter stood next to Mr. Stark tightening screws on a pair of braces. He wasn’t sure why he needed to make leg braces, but he had done the task as well as he could. He’d always been good at having a natural feel for building things, but the projects Mr. Stark gave him were on a whole other level. Some of the items he had to stare at the blueprints for hours just to figure out what they were supposed to be and even then he still stumbled. 

“Peter’s dinner has arrived, Boss,” Tony grunted in response while Peter held his breath. He wasn’t ready to leave yet. 

“You heard her kid, head on upstairs.” Peter took a deep breath and shook his head.

“I’d like to continue working on these, sir. I’m almost finished,” he said not looking up. Peter felt his hands shake when Mr. Stark swiveled on his chair to look at him. 

“Is that so?”

Feeling that he needed to look the man in the eyes, he turned and looked at Mr. Stark. The man had a firm yet amused look on his face. Peter took a deep breath trying to will his voice not to waver. “Yes, sir. I can um heat my up dinner later. It’s no problem. I don’t know when you’ll let me back in here to work on these.” 

“I can finish them you know,” Mr. Stark said. “They’ll get done.” 

“I know, but I want to finish them. I started them so I’d like the honor of completing what I started.” Peter kept his eyes on the device as his heart pumped rapidly in his chest. He knew Mr. Stark was looking at him funny, but he didn’t want the man to know how nervous he was. ‘Stark men are made of iron’ he’d said. 

Callous.

Calm.

Collected. 

“Go upstairs and eat dinner then you can come down and work until your bedtime.” Peter looked up at Mr. Stark. The man had a firm yet playful smile on his face.

“Really?” The man nodded.

“As long as you eat all of your dinner and don’t come down here with greasy hands.” Peter wiped his hands and stood up. 

“Mr. Stark? Thank you.” 

~/~

Tony smirked at the boy who was practically covered in grease, but he had to admit that he was impressed. So very impressed. The kid was barely twelve and he’d already assembled and basically redesigned a pair of legs for Rhodey.

The kid was definitely the right choice. 

The boy had his face close to the mechanism as possible. It seemed to happen in slow motion because as soon as Tony opened his mouth to tell the boy not to apply the wire while it was live sparks shot out directly in the boy’s direction. The guttural scream that came from him as the sparks landed in his eyes was enough to have Tony throwing his own project to the side and scrambling toward the boy. He quickly pulled Peter away from the sparking mechanism and pulled him over to the eyewash station. “Open your eyes, Peter!” 

“They burn!” Tony held the boy over the station and flicked water directly into his eyes. Well as close to his eyes as he could. Mostly water ended up near the boy or on the floor. By the end of it, Peter was soaked and almost sobbing. Tony set the boy down on one of the couches in the room before he knelt down in front of him. 

“Kid, you’ve got to breathe!” Tony didn’t know what to do with a kid who was crying like this. Peter responded to him by wailing and shaking his head frantically. “Peter, you're going to make yourself sick. Stop screaming.” 

“It hurts!” Peter rubbed his eyes with his fist before Tony tried to gently pry his hands away.

“Hey, don’t do that. If they hurt we’ll get you some help. Just don’t rub them,” he said trying not to freak out.

“I’m so stupid,” the boy said still pawing at his eyes. “Can’t l do anything right,” he muttered to himself. Tony had a flashback of his father as the man reared back his hand after a similar incident. 

_How stupid can you be Anthony? How can I trust you to run Stark Industries if you can’t even listen to simple instructions?_

Tony remembered how it felt to crash to the floor and the confusion he held as he saw his father standing over him glaring. He hated that feeling. Weak. Useless. Stupid. He sighed, making a mistake didn’t mean he was dumb. He learned that eventually and Peter needed to as well. “Hey, this kind of stuff happens. It’s what science is all about, right?” The boy took a deep breath and looked up at him. 

“I guess,” he said still sniffing. Tony smirked at the kid and left the boy to take a breather. He walked across the lab and took a deep breath. 

“Don’t yell,” he said to himself. “Just don’t yell. It was stupid and dangerous, but don’t yell.” After several moments he found Peter composed with his head in his hands. Deciding he needed to see the kid clearly he grabbed the boy under the armpits and set him on one of his workstations. “Friday raise the table so I can see his eyes.” The table moved upward slowly and Tony gently inspected Peter’s eyes. There were some red areas around his eyelids but overall they appeared fine. He sighed with relief. He made a note to have someone look at them in the morning before Peter left for school. “Well, it looks like you’ll live kid. How are you feeling? Are you seeing spots or feeling any burning?”

“No, sir,” he said in a small voice. 

“Are you sure?” Peter nodded. Tony nodded and took that as a cue. With Peter safe, he felt calm enough to properly scold the child in front of him. “Ok then, answer me this question what the hell were you thinking?” Peter flinched at his raised voice. “Where were the glasses you’re supposed to wear in here?” The boy stayed silent. “Answer me!” Well, so much for not yelling. 

“Upstairs! I left them on my bed.” Tony blew out a tense breath.

“Kid, I’m trying to work with you here, but you keep doing the dumbest things.”

“I’m not dumb,” the boy fired back albeit timidly. 

“I didn’t say you are dumb. I said your actions were. Note the difference.” The boy turned his head away from him. Tony was having none of it and snapped his fingers. “Look at me.” Peter slowly turned to look up at the man. Tony couldn’t tell if Peter was about to cry or yell or both. “Kid, why didn’t you just ask for another pair?” Peter glared at him causing Tony’s anger to build. He let out a string of curses and scrubbed his hand over his face. “So you came down here knowing you didn’t have the safety equipment you needed and you still continued to work. What sense does that make? That was so stupid! Why would you do that!”

“I wanted to impress you!” Tony scoffed. 

“Try not almost blinding yourself and see how impressed I’ll be.” He tried not to flinch when the boy dropped his head in shame. How could a kid go from angry to embarrassed just like that? He didn’t have the strength to figure it out right now. “Go to your room.” 

“C-can I finish?”

“You’ve done enough.” The boy wiped his face with his sleeve. Ugh, the kid was crying again? 

“Can I um come back tomorrow and finish?” Tony considered it, but his heart was still racing through his chest. 

“No.” The kid let out a muffled whine. “You’re not ready to work in here yet. Stick to R&D and your private sessions with Maya. You need more supervision than I can offer you.” The boy nodded and sniffed before turning and hastily leaving the room. If Tony had to bet the kid was going to cry himself to sleep.

Sitting on the bench, he let his own head drop. He wanted an heir. He needed on really. The board had been on him for months, but no one ever said that it would be like this. 

Tony felt his breath catching. If that kid had been blinded or hurt he would have never forgiven himself. Even if he would never openly admit it, the kid was turning into someone that he cared about. 

What a scary thought that was. 

~/~

Peter’s eyes stung but from tears of shame and not those stupid sparks. He had taken a shower and let him cry himself into a tizzy. Mr. Stark had made it clear that crying wasn’t going to be tolerated. He blew out a breath as he climbed into his queen sized bed. 

He felt miserable as he turned on his side and curled into a tight ball. Fat tears slipped silently down his cheeks. 

Why was this so hard? 

Mr. Stark was about to go to college when he was Peter’s age. How was he supposed to follow in his footsteps? Mr. Stark said that he wanted Peter to be better than him? 

What a joke! 

He desperately wanted to go back to Aunt May and get one of those hugs she was so good at. Aunt May never made him feel like he had to be perfect...he just had to be Peter. Another sob escaped from his lips and he tried to muffle it with a pillow. His whole body soon was wracked with sobs. He was trying so hard to make everyone proud but he was failing. 

“Peter?” Instantly he stilled was he imagining this? “Peter? I got off the phone with Dr. Cho, she told me to rub some ointment on your eyes.” Peter’s heart started to thump violently in his chest. He was sure that his face was a mess. There had to be snot and tears everywhere. “Can you sit up for me? Friday said you’re awake.” Peter knew there was no trying to hide it because the dumb AI snitched on him. He would just have to endure even more embarrassment. He pulled himself up and wiped his face with his hands. He winced as the sore spots on his eyes connected with his hand. 

He saw Mr. Stark stare at him before he moved towards him. Peter tried to at least make it less noticeable that he’d been crying. Maybe then Mr. Stark wouldn’t yell at him. “I’m going to put this on the red spots around your eyes. It should help the swelling and make sure there are no scars.” Peter nodded quietly. Mr. Stark sat on the bed and uncapped the bottle. Peter watched as he put the white cream on his fingers. “Close your eyes so I don’t get this on them.” Peter did as he was told and tried to will himself to not let any more tears slip down his cheeks. “Does that help or itch?” 

“It smells funny,” Peter said. He heard Mr. Stark hum in approval. 

“So, I see your safety glasses on the desk over there and a soldering iron.” Peter held his breath. Here it comes. “Is that a computer you’re building over there?” 

“My um friend Ned his computer broke last week and since we need one for school I figured I could make him one.”

“Where’d you get the parts?”

“I found some in a thrift store and there were a bunch of pieces in the trash near the R&D lab.” Peter felt the bed shift and he opened his eye to see Mr. Stark standing over his desk.

“Is this why you were tired during your language assessment?” Peter bit his lip. 

“I um wanted to finish before his birthday tomorrow. I had to work after bedtime to get it done.”

“You could have asked Maya for help.”

“I wanted to build it myself. Ned’s a good friend and I usually can’t get him much so this time I wanted to give him something only from me.” Peter used the eye that didn’t have ointment on it to try to get a read on Mr. Stark as the man gently ran his fingers over the device. “I didn’t use any of your parts, just the tools.” Mr. Stark glanced up at Peter before looking back down at the almost finished computer. He was petrified that Mr. Stark wouldn’t let him go to the party now. “I’m sorry for breaking the rules.” To his surprise, Mr. Stark gave him a soft smile. 

“You’ve got a good heart, kid.”

Wait, what? 

“T-thank you.” 

“You wanted this done for tomorrow?” Peter nodded. The idea devastated him, but he didn’t want to tell Mr. Stark that. He had to be strong. 

“I guess I’ll just give it to him at his party. No biggie,” Peter said softly. 

“How about this? You get some rest and I’ll finish this up? That way you don’t sleep through your lessons again and you can give your friend his gift on time.” 

“Really? You’d do that?” Mr. Stark shrugged. 

“Those braces you were working on? They’re a present for my best friend.” Peter smiled at Mr. Stark. “Come on, let’s get that ointment on your other eye so you can get some sleep. I don’t need the school calling saying you’re being neglected. What a media firestorm that would be.” It seemed like seconds before Peter felt the cool ointment on his eyes and found himself being gently guided back onto his pillows. He heard the man’s feet shuffle around his room and stop near his desk.

“Mr. Stark?”

“Yeah, Peter?”

“Thank you. Ned will love it.” 

“Just Ned, huh?” Peter smiled as he turned on his side. Even though he wasn’t supposed to he opened his eyes and saw Mr. Stark sitting at his desk with Peter’s safety glasses on and the soldering iron in his hand. A warm feeling passed through his chest. Peter saw Mr. Stark jump up and curse as the distinct scent of burning flesh filled the air. "Go to sleep kid. This iron is a piece of garbage. No wonder you keep your glasses up here. I'll be back," he said. A smile crossed his lips as he settled into his bed. 

Maybe life as the Stark heir wouldn’t be so bad?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks!! I really appreciate all of the kind comments you guys leave. I must say I'm super amused to see how much we all hate a mean Tony. Let me know if how you felt about our two favorite boys in this chapter!
> 
> See you soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so sweet and awesome! I appreciate all of the love and comments!

Tony’s arms were crossed as he stood over the boy in his care. They had several wonderful days where it looked like the boy was finally getting it. He was working hard and turning in work that was exceeding expectations. Although Tony hadn’t allowed the boy back in the lab to work he was giving him a chance to work on his engineering assignments in Tony’s lab so the boy could ask him questions. 

In fact, things had been going so well that he had rewarded Peter’s hard work with a Playstation well he had allowed Maya to buy it for the boy as long as he kept up his studies. It seemed that they had finally hit a stride...that was until today. 

It wasn’t even ten in the morning before Tony had gotten a call that Peter had started a fight with a classmate by smacking the boy in the head with a book. Although it was amusing, Tony was pissed. The Stark name needed a new clean face...not another Tony. 

The kid was supposed to be better!

“I don’t want to hear it, kid,” Tony said firmly. “You had your chance to tell your side and you clammed up. You want to appeal to me now after you’ve been suspended,” Tony scoffed. “Learn when to speak up for yourself and after the hammer’s been dropped is not it.”

Peter leaned forward in the chair before he looked up at Tony. His hair was flopping into his eyes making Tony note that whatever hair product Maya had gotten him wasn’t working to tame the curls like at all. The kid looked practically homeless. 

“But I didn’t mean to do it. I was angry,” Peter started but Tony glared him into silence. They were currently sitting in a small room near the principal's office waiting for the teacher to return with Peter’s homework for the next three days. “I’m sorry! Really it was stupid I know! I just got so mad.” Tony wasn’t moved one inch by the boy’s pleading. 

“I don’t care what you were! Getting into fights is unacceptable, do you understand me?” Peter nodded but didn’t speak. “I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes, Mr. Stark,” Peter parroted back. 

“Kid, you don’t want to test me on this.” Tony closed his eyes. “How many times have I had to say it? You represent me and Stark Industries. Do you think anyone is going to take you seriously if you’re a hothead who can’t control his temper?” 

The boy was only staring at his shoes. Tony felt his heart rate rising as he rubbed his eyes tightly. 

“It wasn’t my fault, Mr. Stark,” he said again stubbornly.

“I don’t care who’s fault it was. This isn’t some game this is real life. So what did he say? That you were stupid or something?” Peter mumbled a response. “Kid, I swear.” Peter let out a distressed grunt.

“It was stupid.” 

“Tell me,” he demanded. “And I won’t ask again.” Looking up with tears in his eyes, Peter spoke. 

“He said I was BFAA trash that you only wanted me for my brain,” Peter said sounding like he was on the verge of breaking down. “He said you didn’t care about me and if someone smarter comes along you’ll throw me away.” Tony was floored. 

Speechless. 

Peter’s little head was staring at his feet and his shoulders were slumped in defeat. Tony remembered himself feeling like that on more than one occasion, but he hadn’t fought back with words. He’d fought his battles behind a computer and with his brain. Carrying the Stark name or it’s association came with a variety of people who hated them for a million different reasons. As much as he wanted to come to the kid’s rescue this was a fight the boy would have to figure out on his own. He needed a thick skin and that was something he could only develop in his own time.

Tony was curious though. Why would that both Peter so much? Then it hit him there was only one explanation.“Do you believe that?” Peter lifted his head slightly. 

“I um I don’t know,” the boy replied. Tony smirked sarcastically and headed for the door. After all, he’d done for the kid and the boy didn’t know? He didn’t know if he should feel hurt or angry. 

“Let’s go.” Tony heard Peter scrambling to grab his backpack before following him out of the room. The principal stood there looking as gobsmacked as she had when Tony had first arrived there was a folder in her hand that Peter accepted. He flicked the kid’s ear and motioned with his head in the principal's direction.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Norris, I um won’t do that again. It was my mistake,” Peter said quietly as he rubbed his ear. The woman smiled and reached for Tony’s hand, but he shook his head. 

“It’s flu season,” he replied. 

“Of course Mr. Stark, you’re right.” Tony exchanged pleasantries for a moment before he turned to walk out of the building. The walk to the car was silent and Peter did his best to sit as far away from Tony as possible. The man busied himself with emails while the kid fidgeted repeatedly in his seat. 

“Mr. Stark?”

“Yes Peter,” he said not looking up from his phone.

“Was he um right?” Tony lowered his phone and lifted his eyes. Peter had a broken yet hopeful look on his face. He honestly didn’t know what to say. If he told the kid it was the lie then Peter wouldn’t strive to reach excellence. That would be the worst case scenario. On the other hand, if he told the boy that it wasn’t a lie then the kid may get into one of his pissy moods and screw everything up...again. The only thing his genius brain could muster was to simply avoid the question. So that’s what he did. 

“Since it’s only 11 am I expect you to get double reading done and your project should be done before you go to sleep tonight,” Tony replied. “That homework you got needs to be done before you touch the PlayStation.” The boy’s face fell at his words and he nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

“I have an event to go to and I expect you to be on your best behavior when you go to R&D later. Am I understood?” Peter nodded.

“Yes, sir.” Tony didn’t say anything when the boy let silent tears slip down his cheeks. The kid needed to toughen up. 

~/~

Tony hated these stupid events Pepper made him go to. When he was younger he took it as a chance to hang out with a fancy coed or two, but now these events seemed to drag. It was a night full of getting dressed up for no reason. He stood there with a drink in his hand listening to the who’s who in New York talk about all of the miserable things that used to matter to him. He found himself much preferring to just go home and see what his kid was working on. 

When he’d left the boy was frantically trying to add some component to device, but he wouldn’t ask Tony for help nor would he tell the man what he was building. It was driving Tony nuts. 

“So Stark, the word is that you have an heir now.” Tony snapped back into the conversation and shrugged. “They say he’s practically a dwarf.” He felt a flare of anger rush his chest when the man snorted a disdainful laugh at Peter’s expense. At this point in his life he was used to Norman Osborn's games they had been dancing this waltz for years. Although it didn’t make Tony any less annoyed at the moment. 

“For what he lacks in stature he makes up for in brains,” Tony replied coolly as he took a sip of his drink. “Don’t know if I can say the same for your boy. What’s his name? Henry?” A satisfied smirk crossed his lips when Norman’s face turned red. 

“Harry is the perfect heir because he's blood. I didn’t have to buy one, like you,” Norman replied. 

“I’m just saying. At least I got to choose. You’re stuck with whatever nature gives you.” Norman gave the man a furious gaze.

“He’s kind of right Norman, Harry is only thirteen and he’s already in the tabloids,” one onlooker said. “That’s a record, I’m sure.” Norman scoffed. 

“You wouldn’t see my kid in trouble like that,” Tony said feeling a sense of pride that was unusual. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders. Apt at decision making when his brain should be skidding right and left. Just wait until he matures. He’s gonna blow all of you away.” Tony admittedly felt a bit guilty at his statement. Peter was all of those things and yet he’d come down really hard on the boy earlier. He’d have to figure out a way to make it up to him. Norman’s grating voice cut into his thoughts. 

“You mean unlike you,” Norma asked with a wry smile on his lips.

“Exactly like that. He’s going to be better than any of us standing here,” Tony said. 

“We’ll see about that Stark. Harry has a better understanding of genetics than any child I’ve ever seen. He’s already running a team of people on several research projects. I think in the long run you, Stark Industries, and that little vagabond will have your work cut out for you.” Norman replied with a challenge. Tony knew he didn’t have to respond, the color on Norman’s face already let him know that he'd won. 

“You know Stark’s boy, won the state science fair two years in a row. The kid has been working on revolutionizing the healthcare industry,” a woman whose name Tony forgot as soon as she’d said it remarked. “He’s at the top of his class and he’s not even a teenager yet.” Tony felt a sense of pride for Peter even though it had not even been a full month since he’d met the boy. Somehow though he still felt like ‘his’. Everyone chattered about Peter, but Tony didn’t like the look on Norman’s face. 

“What’s the matter, Osborn? Cat got your tongue?” Tony remarked. 

The man looked at him with a mix of bewilderment and intrigue. “Peter Parker is your pledge?” That sent red flags across Tony’s mind. He hadn’t released Peter’s identity yet. Just a press release. He tried to calm himself down, but it didn’t work. “That kid won’t be anything,” Norman said chuckling. “He’s lost both his parents, an uncle, and now he’s living with you? He’s going to self-destruct before he’s twenty-one. I guarantee it. You all think Harry’s a tabloid sensation, just give this kid two years.” Tony wanted to punch Norman in his lopsided head, but instead, he smirked. Norman was just jealous.

“How do you know so much about him? Were you by any chance looking to replace your own heir?” Tony smiled smugly as Norman merely scoffed before walking away. 

“Oh uh, Stark? I saw you entered your boy in the MIT Junior Robotics competition. Make sure you prepare him for a loss,” Norman threw over his shoulder. Tony laughed, Peter could build a robot in his sleep.

~/~

Peter was sitting up eating Pizza from Bruno’s in Queens in the dining room. Maya had ordered it for them to eat as a snack. He hadn’t asked any questions when she told him to put the food from the chef away. There would never come a day when Peter Parker turned down pizza. 

Especially not after a day like the one he’d had today. Since Mr. Stark had chewed him out and promptly left him at the back entrance of the Tower he had been pushing his brain as far as he could and he was starting to sputter. Rubbing his hand over his face he tried to focus on the questions Maya was firing at him. 

“So Peter, let’s go over this again,” Maya said looking at the textbook in front of her. “Tertiary conformation of proteins are maintained by 3 types of bonds namely ionic, hydrogen and?” Peter bit his lip.

“Um it’s not sulfide because the other ones stabilize the structure, so disulfide?” 

“Is that a question or an answer, Peter? Come on. Confidence, remember? Stark’s gonna eat you alive if you can’t level your voice when you speak.” She took a deep breath. “Just be calm, cool, and collected.” Peter nodded.

“Ok, you’re right. Disulfide.” He was confident or at least he was for a moment. “Wait, no uh that’s right isn’t it?” Maya gave him a soft smile. 

“Peter you have to be confident in yourself. If you don’t believe yourself then why should anyone else believe you?” Peter slouched in his chair and took a big gulp of his juice. Maya slid her notebook into the book and leaned forward. “You don’t usually second guess yourself like this. What’s going on?” 

“I don’t know.” Maya cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. “Fine, Dr. Burns yelled at me for doing something stupid earlier.” 

“Peter take a breath, it’s ok.”

“You don’t get it. Mr. Stark is going to be so mad at me. He told me to not screw anything up and I did. I mixed the wrong chemicals in the lab earlier and caused a small fire. Dr. Burns told me I was a waste of expectations and I am never going to be like Tony Stark. I mean I don’t want to be Mr. Stark, but it was only one mistake, right? I mean it looked right on paper, I’m almost positive that it should have worked. Maybe I should have checked the beakers again. I don’t know.” Maya reached her hand across the table and touched his arm. 

He squeezed his eyes shut. Aunt May used to do that when he was upset. “You know making a mistake doesn’t mean you're stupid, right?” 

“I guess.” She ducked her head to make sure that he saw her smiling. 

“It doesn’t Peter. Making mistakes is a part of science.” Peter nodded.

“Yeah, Mr. Stark said that too.” Peter saw the woman sit up with an impressed look on her face. 

“Talk about the tin man getting a heart,” she mumbled. “But he’s right Peter. You made a mistake, you own up to it, and you move on.” 

He took a deep breath before nodding. “Yeah, you're right.” 

“Look, just because you had a rough day doesn’t mean that you can’t make up for it tomorrow and the next day, right?” Maya cocked her head to the side. “Look at me, I made like ten years of mistakes and I’m still making it, right?” 

“As a nanny,” he said laughing.

“You’re too much kid, you know that?” Peter took solace in the woman’s caring smile. He didn’t get a lot of those these days. “So remember, own it. If you make a mistake it’s just that, a mistake ok?” He nodded. “Alright Peter, one more then time for bed. An amino acid that yields acetoacetyl CoA during the catabolism of its carbon skeleton will be considered what?” 

“Ketogenic,” he said firmly without flinching. Maya smirked at him.

“And that is what I call a successful day.” She stood up and tossed her laptop in her bag. “Make sure you have your bag ready with your notes for Dr. Kohl with your language assessment tomorrow.” Peter nodded. “Go ahead and read the next ten pages in your textbook and we’ll go through it.” As Peter stood up to clear the table, he saw Mr. Stark walk in with a medium sized toolbox and a cardboard box under his arm. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” The man smiled as he got closer and set the items on the table. That made Peter feel so much more relaxed. The man didn’t hate him. 

“Peter, Maya.” Peter looked at the items from afar. “Peter my boy, these are for you.” Peter was confused. 

“For me? I um thought I was in trouble.” Tony used his free hand to motion for Peter to come stand next to him. 

“Well, I’ve been doing some thinking and if you’re going to learn to run my company someday who better to teach how to do that than me? Everyone makes mistakes kid, it’s how to learn from it.” Peter smiled up at Maya and then back at the items in front of them. “So, I worked all afternoon on this stuff. This, my boy, is a Stark laptop that I tailored with every program and computer model you could think of.” He handed the device to Peter. It was red with gold accent pieces. “Plus, here’s a new soldering kit because your other one should have been condemned and the box is just to house all of your tools and whatnot.” Peter felt his chest growing each moment with pride. Mr. Stark really believed in him maybe Flash was wrong. 

“I don’t know what to say Mr. Stark, but thank you! I’ll um try to make you proud.” The man gave him a tight-lipped nod. 

“There’s just one last thing. I need to put your big brain on display so I’ve signed you up for some events.” Peter nodded. He’d competed before that should be fine. “Your first project is to prepare for the MIT Junior Robotics Competition.” 

Peter felt himself starting to freak out and he knew his confidence start to waver. “Um, I’m not so good at robots. I’m better with chemistry than I am coding.” Mr. Stark’s smile slipped off his face causing Peter to feel like the air was coming right out of his lungs. Think Peter think. “I don’t mean to disappoint you, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I mean, I’ve never built a robot before.” 

Peter felt his chest squeeze further when the man kept a straight face and seemed to lose interest in him. “You’ve got two weeks to get ready for it. Use your resources and I’m clearing your after-school sessions for this. So make me proud.” Peter knew the man was trying to help him, but it was really just making him more nervous. What if he failed? “I put some modules on there for you to start practicing with. I want to see at least two of them done by Friday.” Peter gulped. Ned’s party was on Friday. It had gotten postponed when his friend had gotten sick and now it was this Friday and Peter desperately wanted to go. 

“Um Mr. Stark, my friend Ned’s party is Friday so I’ll make sure this is done before then.” Peter’s heart felt like a knife ripped into it when the man looked down at him and frowned. 

“You’re not going to that party Peter,” he said firmly.

He glanced at Maya before looking at Mr. Stark. “But you said I could.” Peter felt helpless. "Please Mr. Stark, Ned's my best friend. He's been planning this for months and just please let me go. I'll do anything you want me to." Mr. Stark held up his hand. 

“Life is tough. You want to get into fights then deal with the fallout of your consequences. The media would have a field day if they knew what you did.” Peter felt like he was about to cry in despair until a sharp glare silenced him. “Don’t you dare start crying kid. You should consider yourself lucky. If it were my old man you would…”

Before Peter could stop it his mouth answered instantly. “But you’re not my old man so it doesn’t matter,” Peter replied petulantly. Mr. Stark smirked at the kid while Maya looked scared. He realized his mistake instantly.

“Peter didn’t mean that Tony,” Maya pleaded for him.

“She's right! Mr. Stark, I’m sorry I am,” Peter said desperately. “I didn't mean that. You’re great, really,” he added. 

“I gave you the best equipment, a roof, new clothes, I bought you all of this stuff. Just for you Peter and this is how you repay me? Getting into fights, starting fires, slacking off? Do you know the kind of people I saved you from? Do you? Kid I gave you a chance at a future! A chance to be great.” Tony shook his head. “Maybe I should have picked someone else. Maybe Peter Parker just isn’t cut out for this." The man clicked his teeth with a hard look on his face. "You know what?” Peter held his breath. “There’s a boarding school in Maine, maybe I should send you there. Let you toughen up under the rule of some military folk. Maybe then you'll learn a thing or two about respect and gratitude.” He went to open his mouth to beg Mr. Stark not to send him away when the man's phone rang. As he watched the man leave the room he felt his heart hammering in his chest. 

What had he done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...tell me how you're feeling? 
> 
> Lt. Col. Rhodes makes an appearance in the next chapter...and we get a decision about Peter's future from the man himself. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to ALL of the kind comments on the last chapter and on this story as a whole! 
> 
> See you guys at the bottom!

Peter was sweating as he read the lines on the screen. He was desperately trying to put together a project that would show Mr. Stark that he could build a robot and he hoped that would translate into simply saying that he was sorry. He made sure to do everything perfectly since the issue before, but the man had barely looked his way since then. 

He heard Mr. Stark come upstairs at night and fumbling in the kitchen on occasion, but he hadn’t said a word to Peter….and it was spiking Peter’s anxiety in ways he hadn’t experienced in a while. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get Maine out of his head. Two nights in a row he had nightmares about Tony pulling him out of his bed and sending him away. 

_Maybe I should send you there. Let you toughen up under the rule of some military folk. ___

__The thought bounced around in his mind repeatedly. What would he do so far away from home? Would he make new friends? How would Ned fare daily without him? Would Mr. Stark let Aunt May visit? The questions were endless and it was freaking Peter out. Right after Mr. Stark threatened to send him away Peter had Googled the school and unfortunately discovered that the Maine Preparatory Academy was the real deal. They were ranked number #2 in the nation for having their graduates attend Ivy League colleges and had an amazing feeder program into MIT. Worst of all... Mr. Stark was their most prominent alumni. Peter knew that all he had to do was call and just like that Peter wouldn’t be gone before he could blink._ _

__More than anything Peter was determined to do anything so he didn’t end up there. Even if he felt like he was dying under homework, assessments, lab times, and tutors, he needed to make sure that he got to stay in New York._ _

__His home._ _

__That’s why he’d been doing everything he could to show Mr. Stark that he was worth his time and attention. Even though he hated it, Peter was sitting in the small recently built area of the lab that was enclosed behind glass so that Mr. Stark could see him but it kept Peter away from anything the man deemed dangerous._ _

__Peter’s Playpen._ _

__That’s the code name Mr. Stark had given it. At this point, Peter didn’t know if it was a jab spoken to get a rise out of him or if Mr. Stark really just thought he was a baby._ _

__“What are you working on there?” Peter almost jumped out of his skin at the other voice. He turned around to see a dark-skinned man with a big smile. The man was wearing a button up shirt with jeans. Peter did his best not to stare at the very sophisticated looking wheelchair._ _

__Peter adjusted himself on his knees so that he could see the screen and his notebook. “Um I uh, a practice robot proposal.”_ _

__He felt the man move closer to him. “That’s cool. I used to build robots all the time. I won a bunch of competitions when I was your age, then I met Tony Stark and well I’m sure you know.” Peter laughed. He sure did know. Mr. Stark had rejected every proposal that he’d submitted so far. The man had said that they were pedestrian. “So what’s got you chewing on that pen like that?” Peter felt his face heat up at the pen caped he gnawed to the point of almost being flat._ _

__“I um, I can’t seem to get the programming right. I’ve tried everything. I think I did the wiring right, but getting it to translate into the computer keeps glitching” The man leaned in and looked over his work. Peter bit his lip in anticipation. The last thing he needed was for the man to tell Mr. Stark that Peter wasn’t worth his time._ _

__“Oh, you’re so close, kid. You just forgot to bind your two processes together.” Peter looked at the paper and nodded before scratching the sequence out as soon as he input it into the computer the error screen disappeared and the render screen popped up. He let out a sigh of relief._ _

__“I’ve been staring at this for hours. Thanks, Mr. um...I’m sorry sir I don’t know your name.” Peter asked._ _

__“It’s cool kid, I’m Jimmy, but Tones calls me Rhodey.” Peter nodded in recognition._ _

__“Of course your the Iron Patriot.” He stuck out his hand toward the man and looked him in the eye. He tried to keep his posture as rigid as possible._ _

__“Tony is really putting the Howard magic on you, kid.” Peter furrowed his brows. He opened his mouth to ask the man a question, but a voice cut him off._ _

__“I don’t hear you grunting or cursing so you must be done huh?” Turning around Peter saw Mr. Stark walking towards him with his arms crossed over his chest._ _

__Shoot, this is the exact opposite of behaving. He opened his mouth to respond, but Mr. Rhodes beat him to it._ _

__“It’s my fault Tones, I asked him a question and broke his concentration,” Mr. Rhodes said. Mr. Stark dropped his arms and rolled his eyes. For once Peter was happy that Mr. Stark wasn’t focusing on him._ _

__“It’d be nice if you announce your presence Honeybear. Makes me feel all squishy when you don’t,” Mr. Stark said abruptly turning around and walking towards the interior of the lab where his work stations were. “Kid, why don’t you go work on that in your room, yeah?” Peter sighed before biting his lip._ _

__“I’m almost finished, um can I show them to you now?”_ _

__Mr. Stark turned toward him with furrowed brows. “Why would I want to see your incomplete work?” Peter nodded and felt a lump in his throat and his ears redden. He heard Mr. Rhodes wince behind him as embarrassment consumed Peter._ _

__“Yes, sir. Um, yeah,” he said closing his laptop and packing up his notebooks. As quickly as he could, Peter scurried out of the lab. There was no way he was going to get to stay in New York._ _

__He was sure of it._ _

~/~

__Tony watched Peter scurry out of the lab and disappear down the hall. He sat down with a heap on one of the couches before turning to his friend. “Where you been at Rhodes?” Tony saw the man give him a look before glancing at the door where Peter had just run through._ _

__“So you did it huh? That’s the heir to Stark?” Tony didn’t answer, it was already obvious. “So he seems pretty smart. Almost as smart as you.”_ _

__“He’s probably smarter,” Tony said quietly._ _

__Rhodey leaned forward. “Wait, what?”_ _

__“I said he’s probably smarter than me.” He’d been considering it for a while, but Peter was grasping things at twelve that Tony hadn’t even imagined yet._ _

__“Does he know that?” Tony made a face. “Tones, I know you see it, that kid is starved for your affirmation.”_ _

__“He gets too caught up in what I think. It makes him miss things.”_ _

__“He was literally sitting there almost choking himself chewing on that pen to see a mistake that was literally in line one. He wasn’t just missing it, he was stressing Tony.”_ _

__“What are you his advocate? Let me handle the kid, ok?” Rhodey wheeled himself around the workstation and stopped right in front of Tony before giving his friend a look. That was a look that Tony knew all too well. After over twenty years of friendship, it was a something that he could see coming from a mile away._ _

__“Come on man, talk to me. It’s just you and me.”_ _

__“Kid’s brilliant Rhodes. Like he would put any of us to shame. He is building a synthetic fiber to revolutionize bandages. He started at ten. He’s just as smart as me and he’s everything I’m not, but I’ve got to push him. If I’m hard on him then he’ll get push himself to reach his potential.”_ _

__“Wow Tones.”_ _

__“What?”_ _

__“You sound like the one person I never thought you would.” Ok, Tony was really confused. “Remember ‘you are my greatest creation’?” Tony’s heart stopped cold. “Howard pushed you without so much as a pat on the back to make you strong, driven, and successful. Apparently, he loved you more than any of us knew, but you didn’t know it.”_ _

__Tony tense as the man’s words washed over him. A few moments of silence passed as the two friends waded around the difficult topic. This was definitely not something Tony liked to discuss. His relationship with his father was definitely a complicated one, but in the end, he respected his father for making him the man that he is._ _

__“He wasn’t all bad, Rhodes,” he said eventually. The tone in the room had grown somber as they listened to the steady whir and beeps of the bots._ _

__“No, he wasn’t. He was brilliant, an amazing businessman, and a hell of an inventor. He did lack in one place though...he was an awful father.” Tony tensed at the man’s words. “Just ask yourself Tones, for all the things your dad did for you what was the outcome?” Tony remembered the harsh looks and harder fists, he remembered the middle of the week trips to his boarding school to ‘talk’ to him about his progress. Tony remembered how scared he was the first time he visited the Rhodes house for fear that his father might find out that he wasn’t studying. Even for all of that, Tony was a success. He had no contemporaries and he exceeded every expectation, but as a boy, he’d been miserable. From the time he woke up until he passed out. He was miserable and he hated every second of it._ _

__Is that what he’d been doing to Peter?_ _

__“I was a mess.” Tony scrubbed his hand down his face. “But it worked Rhodes, it did. I graduated and had two PhDs by the time I was 21.”_ _

__“Yeah, but what did it cost you? You didn’t have any friends until you met me, you didn’t know how to let people love you, and you floated through life masking your pain until you were almost forty.” Rhodey leaned forward. “If this kid is going to be better than you then you have to help him. Don’t make him miserable and hate you. You have a chance to break the cycle. Don’t do what Howard did to you to him. You’re better than that Tones.” Tony turned toward his friend and threw his hands in the air._ _

__“I don’t know how to get the kid there.” He scuffed his boots on the ground trying to center himself. “This kid can do it all and if I fail him where will he be?”_ _

__“Tony, you’re probably the smartest person on earth right now. Just trust your instincts and open your eyes. You’ll know how to help this kid, just stop thinking you’re Howard because you’re not.”_ _

__“Kid smacked some kid in the face with a book earlier in the week.” Tony saw his friend give a confused look._ _

__“Ok…”_ _

__“Well he got suspended from school. I laid into him then asked why he did it and you know what he said? He said that the other kid told him that I was only using him for his brain. Can you believe that? I asked him if he thought it was true and he said he didn’t know.” Rhodey snorted._ _

__“How would he know?” Tony felt himself getting angry. Why did everyone think so little of him? “I mean after what I just saw I’d feel the same way. You haven’t been a great dad.”_ _

__Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m not his dad, Rhodes.”_ _

__“He lives in your house, Tony! You feed him, you clothed him and judging by what I just saw you discipline him. Dad’s do that! Look whether you want to think that way or not if you’re not his dad you’re a father figure in his life. You’re going to have to face that one way or another.”_ _

__“Rhodes, this is just business. I can’t get attached emotionally.”_ _

__“Did you tell him that?”_ _

__“The program isn’t set up for people to take kids in as their own. We’re to nurture them to reach their potential. We provide the resources and the safe environment for it to happen. Those are the rules.”_ _

__“Well, I’ve never known Tony Stark to follow rules.” Tony’s felt his heart hammering in his chest. That was true. “Look I don’t want to overstep, but I don’t want to see you or that kid hurt. Just be careful, ok? I know you want him to be better than you, but you can be better than Howard you _are _better than Howard.” Tony felt a lump in his throat.___ _

____“I don’t know what I’m doing Rhodey. He reminds me so much of me.” He felt a hand on his shoulder._ _ _ _

____“Just do what you wished your dad would have done for you. I mean you have it in you to do this.” Tony nodded and tried to push his guilt aside. He stood up and walked out of the lab._ _ _ _

____“Fri tell Rhodey to make himself at home. I’ll be back in a bit.” He was practically running towards Peter’s room. His mind was racing with thoughts as he tried to right his wrong._ _ _ _

____Oh, how terrible he’d been to the boy._ _ _ _

____It was a wonder that the kid didn’t hate him yet._ _ _ _

____After what felt like forever, he finally made it to Peter’s bedroom. He stood for a couple of moments trying to catch his breath. He wanted to have a calm talk with the boy. That was the only way that this would work. He took a deep breath and let his forehead touch the cool door frame. Voices pulled him out of his thoughts._ _ _ _

____“I’m in a lot of trouble right now and if I come I don’t know what he’ll do,” he heard Peter say. The phone must have been on speaker because the other boy’s voice responded immediately._ _ _ _

____“You said that you would ask again.”_ _ _ _

____“I did and he doesn’t want to hear about it. If I ask again it’ll piss him off worse. I’m sorry Ned.” He heard Peter let out a huff of exasperation. “I know this sucks.”_ _ _ _

____“Peter, you’re my best friend. Everyone is going to Flash’s party. I guess I’ll just tell my mom to put the food in the fridge,” the Ned kid said._ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry, Ned. Please don’t be mad,” he heard Peter say. “Ned? Hey Ned? Great, he hung up.” He heard the boy take a deep breath. “Hey uh, Friday? If I ask you something do you have to tell Mr. Stark?”_ _ _ _

____“No, not unless you’re putting yourself in danger.”_ _ _ _

____“Do you think Mr. Stark would be really mad if I still went to Ned’s party?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, Peter I do.”_ _ _ _

____“Like how mad?”_ _ _ _

____“I can’t say Peter, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m sure the consequences for your actions would very unpleasant.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m just worried about Ned. I don’t know what to do. We’ve never missed each other’s birthdays. I can’t seem to do anything right. I’m a terrible friend and I can’t even build this stupid robot. Maybe I should let Mr. Stark send me away, it’s probably better so I can stop disappointing everybody.” Tony went to raise his hand to knock but heard a sniffle. Should he let him cry in private? He hated it when people saw him cry._ _ _ _

____Tony pushed himself away from the door. He hadn’t really been thinking about Peter, not the way that he was supposed to anyway. Tony had only been thinking about investments, branding, marketability...preparing the kid for the boardroom. It had only been about what the boy could do._ _ _ _

____Somehow he had to change things._ _ _ _

____He heard a distressed sob and a loud thump. His brain moved into action far quicker than he realized and propelled himself into Peter’s room. The sight before him made him feel terrible all over again. The kid was on the floor clutching a pillow to his chest sobbing._ _ _ _

____“Hey Pete?” The boy turned to him in shock before he dissolved into practical hysteria._ _ _ _

____“I’ll stop crying! Please just don’t send me away! I’m sorry,” he said frantically with the pillow still in his clutches. That made Tony feel like a douche._ _ _ _

____Tony did his best to kneel down on the carpet next to the boy. Peter must have sensed Tony was near him because he curled his arms around the pillow and pressed his face deeper into it. Wow, this was uncomfortable. Maybe this was why Howard had always pushed Tony off on Jarvis. “Come on kid. If you keep this up then you won’t be able to make it Ned’s party.” The boy stopped for a moment when Peter lifted his head to look up at Tony. His breathing was still ragged, but better. His face though was covered in snot and his eyes were red._ _ _ _

____“You said,” he sniffed, “that I couldn’t go.” Tony slid closer to the crying mess of a boy._ _ _ _

____“I changed my mind.” Peter’s big brown eyes stared up at him like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Unable to help himself Tony pushed the curls out of the boy’s face. “So get yourself cleaned up. You’ll be late if you don’t shower and de-grease yourself.” Peter slid up and wiped his face with his hands._ _ _ _

____“You um aren’t going to change your mind?” Tony furrowed his brows. “I mean you do that a lot. You say yes then it becomes no if I do something wrong. I don’t know if I can do that again tonight,” the boy said softly._ _ _ _

____“Don’t worry kid. Now take a shower. I’ll drop you off.” Peter nodded and headed to the shower that was attached in the suite. Tony looked around the small place the boy could call his own. It was messier than he would have liked, but it was definitely Peter. He’d put up some magazine cutouts and had a half made Lego set sitting on a shelf. Tony made a mental note to buy some stuff soon so Peter could feel at home. Tony heard the shower turn on as he walked around the room. There were clothes on the floor in piles that made Tony’s skin crawl and a few cups. He couldn’t say much about that even though it was kind of gross._ _ _ _

____He turned toward the desk and saw a vile of a clear sticky substance. As he looked closer he realized it was another attempt at the synthetic bandages that the kid had been working on for years. Tony had only seen pictures, to see it up close was a whole different thing. The stuff was incredible. It was sticky, but not overly so._ _ _ _

____Man, nobody knew just what an amazing mind this kid was. Nobody._ _ _ _

____A frame on the desk caught his eye and gently picked it up. It was Peter sitting on a man’s lap with a wide smile on his face. He guessed that it must be the boy’s parents. For the first time since he’d met Peter, he realized just how much loss the boy had endured. When Tony lost his parents he was a man already, this kid had lost three parents before he was ten._ _ _ _

____Tony realized in that moment that Peter Parker was the strongest person he’d ever met._ _ _ _

~/~

___Mr. Stark was driving Peter in one of his less conspicuous Audi’s. It had been one hell of a day for Peter. A whole week really. Now, he was heading toward his best friend’s house for a party being driven by one of the richest men in the world. For some reason it just made Peter feel thousand times more nervous._ _ _

____Usually Maya drove him everywhere or Happy, but this was different. He wasn't sure why Mr. Stark was being so nice to him. Maybe he was just buttering him up before he sent him away to study. He kept glancing at Mr. Stark to see if maybe he could get a read on him, but it wasn’t working. He was just anxious for some reason._ _ _ _

____He couldn’t take it anymore and started to chew his nail feverishly. “That’s gross, you know.” Peter turned toward Mr. Stark. The man had a pair of blue sunglasses on and his hair was fixed to the side in perfection._ _ _ _

____“It’s a um, habit,” Peter said._ _ _ _

____“It’s still gross. You touch a million things a day and you shove your hand in your mouth.” Peter tensed and pulled his finger out of his mouth. “Look it’s your mouth, I just wanted you to know how gross it was.”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, sir.” Peter turned to look out of the window._ _ _ _

____“Look I um, I’m sorry about how I’ve treated you. I was really hard on you and it wasn’t fair.” Peter turned to see Mr. Stark fidgeting with the wheel._ _ _ _

____“Its o-ok, Mr. Stark.”_ _ _ _

____“It’s not Peter. You’re a good kid and I was wrong.” Peter smiled at that. “And just call me Tony, ok? Mr. Stark was my dad.”_ _ _ _

____“But um you’re like my boss. Is it ok if I call you that?” Mr. Stark nodded._ _ _ _

____“Yes it is.”_ _ _ _

____“Well um, I don’t think Aunt May would like it. She’s always said I should call adults mister or miss.”_ _ _ _

____“I know you’re like a really polite kid, but sometimes you have to be a little edgy so to speak. Say someone is pissing you off in a boardroom if your little baby face says ‘oh, I’m disappointed in you Mr. Stark’ it will fall flat but if you say ‘Get your act together Tony, then it will carry more weight. Get it?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, sir.” Tony smiled at Peter and shook his head._ _ _ _

____“Just not gonna win with you, huh?” Tony loosely put his hand on the back of Peter’s neck. He wanted to flinch, but Mr. Stark really hadn’t done anything like that before and it felt kind of nice. “So how did the best friend like his computer?”_ _ _ _

____“Um what do you mean?” Peter didn’t want to think about that._ _ _ _

____“Well?”_ _ _ _

____“This kid, he uh took it.” Peter waited for the normal Mr. Stark to show up and tell him to toughen up. To berate him for letting people take advantage of him._ _ _ _

____“Was it that Flash kid?”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah.”_ _ _ _

____“So he just took it?”_ _ _ _

____“Well um, had one of his friends hold Ned down and they were punching him everytime I said no so I gave it to him.”_ _ _ _

____“You gave it to him?”_ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry Mr. Stark,” Peter said lamely. “I should have fought him or something.”_ _ _ _

____“No, kid you did the right thing.”_ _ _ _

____Huh?_ _ _ _

____“What do you mean?”_ _ _ _

____“If you had fought him you could have gotten suspended again. We don’t need that on your record. It was good thinking to cut your losses and save your friend.” Pete was so surprised._ _ _ _

____“Thank you.”_ _ _ _

____“So you need another computer?”_ _ _ _

____“What do you mean?”_ _ _ _

____“For your friend. You didn’t get to give him his gift so you need another computer?”_ _ _ _

____“No that’s ok. Ned at least got to see the one I made.” Mr. Stark rolled his eyes._ _ _ _

____“Hey Fri? Have a courier deliver a Stark laptop Back in Black Edition to Ned Leeds tomorrow morning.”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, Boss.” Peter looked over at Mr. Stark who was smiling._ _ _ _

____“Thank you so much! Ned is going to freak out.” Peter played with the sleeve of his shirt. The man had made a drastic turn in the course of just a few hours. As nice as it was he’d been through this before._ _ _ _

____Mr. Stark could be nice stricter than a nun and then offer him cookies like a grandma. He didn’t know how long this would last, but he guessed that he would just have to wait and see._ _ _ _

~/~

____Peter stood on the steps with Ned with a giant smile on his face. The party had only four people but it was a blast. It was the most fun Peter had in months. They played Twister, watched a movie, and pigged out on the crazy spread of pizza, chips, tacos, ice cream, and cake._ _ _ _

____It was simple, but it was fun._ _ _ _

____So much fun._ _ _ _

____He and Ned were sitting on the steps waiting for Mr. Stark to come back and get him. A breeze caught his shoulder and he let out a cough._ _ _ _

____He saw his friend still next to him. “Hey uh are you ok?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, Ned. I’m fine.”_ _ _ _

____“You have your inhaler, right?” Peter loved his friend, but he was a worrier._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, but I don’t need it. I’m good. No issues in almost a year.” Ned nodded at him but he didn’t look like he believed it._ _ _ _

____“So when is Mr. Stark coming back?”_ _ _ _

____“Soon I guess. Well Happy his driver is coming. I um texted him and he said there was bad traffic.”_ _ _ _

____“You know maybe you should just head toward him, save him some time,” Ned said. Peter stood up yawning._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just gonna head that way. I’ll call you tomorrow?” Ned nodded._ _ _ _

____“Thanks for coming Peter. It made the party. I'm sorry I got so upset before.”_ _ _ _

____"Don't worry about it Ned. I'm glad I could come too." Smiling at his friend Peter headed down the street. Happy couldn’t have been too far away. Peter was walking happily down the street with a spring in his step that he hadn’t had in forever. It would have been the perfect night if the temperature hadn’t dropped. Peter really wished he’d picked a better jacket. He slipped his earbuds in his ears and continued his trek toward Happy._ _ _ _

____It felt like he’d been walking forever when finally a black Audi pulled up next to him. Relief washed over him. He was going to ask Happy to blast the heat as soon as he got into the car._ _ _ _

____He got closer and put his hand on the door. “It’s about time Happy,” he said before frowning and letting go of the handle. The familiar shiny rims and grill weren't there._ _ _ _

____Happy always made sure to keep the car clean and detailed weekly._ _ _ _

____“Hey kid,” a man said from the now rolled down window. Before Peter could react or sceam a hand clamped over his mouth and pulled him into a headlock from behind._ _ _ _

____“Let’s go for a ride,” the man growled as he shoved Peter forward into the open door._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what'd did you guys think? Is the Tony Rhodey connection what you thought it'd be?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are AWESOME as always! I read every comment and I want you to know that I appreciate you all.

Peter doubled over as another punch hit his torso. He felt the tears stinging his eyes, but the tight sack over his head was catching them. His arms were being held behind his back by someone who was clearly much stronger than he was. No matter how hard he fought he couldn't’ break free. It left him vulnerable to every hit and there were _bunch _of them. Each seemingly harder than the first.__

__“Stop, please,” he gasped out. For that, he felt another set of punches hit his torso before landing on his face._ _

__“Think he gets the message?” Peter could barely hear them over his breathing and the tears._ _

__“Do you get it Starky?” He nodded as he sobbed trying to lean forward. Nothing he could do helped him catch his breath. “What is it,” the man asked putting his index finger under Peter’s chin. If he wasn’t blindfolded Peter would have been looking to his eyes instead all he saw was the pitch black. “I’m waiting kid.”_ _

__“I-I uh the reign of Stark terror ends here. The first family of weapons and technology will die with Tony Stark. If an heir is enthroned the Stark name will suffer the same fate as the Romanovs.”_ _

__“Wow, that barely took any time at all,” the one holding him said. He tightened Peter’s arms behind his back causing Peter to yelp. “Think we need another round to pound it in?” Peter wanted to cry at the suggestion._ _

__“I get it p-please, just stop.” He heard a snicker before he was shoved to the ground. Normally he’d remark how dirty it was, but all he cared about was that he had his arms back so he was at least able to break his fall. Breathing a sigh of relief he let himself rest for a moment. Everything hurt. It all hurt so bad._ _

__He reached up to pull the blindfold off. The night sky was shining above him, but at least he could see. Then out of nowhere, he was met with a boot flying toward his face. “No,” he shouted before it all went black._ _

~/~

__Tony smiled at his friend over a game of pool. Rhodey was testing out his new Peter-made leg braces while they unwound. It had been way too long since the friends caught up._ _

__“Five ball, side pocket,” Rhodey said aiming. Just as he was about to take his shot an alarm blasted. Tony snorted as Rhodey’s shot careened off the table and onto the floor._ _

__“Good job Fri. I always knew I liked you best,” Tony said smugly._ _

__“Stupid computer,” Rhodey spat. Tony made a face of insult and put his hand over his heart._ _

__“She is a very sophisticated AI I’ll have you know.” Rhodey merely glared at him while Tony reached down to pick up the errant ball. “Did you need something baby girl?”_ _

__“Boss, Mr. Hogan is calling and says it’s urgent,” the AI said. Tony instantly stilled._ _

__“Put him through, Fri.”_ _

__Tony could hear the panicked breathing of Happy before he spoke. “Boss, do you have the kid?” This was bad._ _

__“No Hap, I dropped him off you were supposed to pick him up.”_ _

__“I’m at this Ned kid’s house and he says Peter left thirty minutes ago.”_ _

__“What!” Tony felt his blood run cold and his hands start to sweat. “Why would he do that?”_ _

__“There was some bad traffic and I was running late. So Fred said Peter decided to meet me closer,” Happy said._ _

__“This kid,” Tony said trying to calm his rising heart rate._ _

__“He was trying to help Tony,” Rhodey interjected._ _

__“I know Rhodes, I’m not mad at the kid. He’s so helpful, it drives me nuts. Like he doesn’t have one ounce of self-preservation. 'Sure I'm twelve and weight less than two rocks, but why can't I walk alone in Queens'?” Tony took a deep breath. “Friday track the kid’s phone.”_ _

__“It's offline, Boss,” the AI replied almost instantly. Tony felt his breathing hitch before picking up rapidly. Oh God, What was he gonna do? He had no way finding the kid._ _

__Tony remembered all of those attempts to kidnap him when he was a kid. It was always the same. Someone would grab him from behind stuff a rag over his mouth and try to drag him to a car. He mostly managed to get away, but there was that time one time they’d succeeded. They had him got six hours before he was found. How scared he was and how badly he wanted someone to tell him everything would be ok. All he got instead was a ‘Starks don’t show weakness” and a smack on the back telling him to square his shoulders and stand tall. The tears that stained his face that night and the fear that had consumed him traveled with him into adulthood._ _

__He had to find Peter!_ _

__“It’s gonna be ok, Tones. Between you, me and Happy we’ll find the kid.” Rhodey’s voice was much closer than Tony remembered, but it was comforting nonetheless._ _

__“Rhodes! The kid thinks I hate him! What if...what if,” he sputtered. “Oh, God!” He felt his friend’s hand tighten on his shoulder._ _

__“Take a deep breath. Come on, man. In and out.” Tony closed his eyes and tried to do just that but then his chest started to hurt._ _

__Happy’s frantic voice broke into his thoughts. “Tony! I just got word over the scanner. The police found a kid wearing a blue and red jacket with some weird science t-shirt on in an alley. He was taken to a hospital. Does that sound like him?”_ _

__Tony felt panic creep up from his stomach and overtake him. In an alley? He felt Rhodey calming hand on his shoulder yet again._ _

__“It’s gonna be ok Tones. Do you remember what the kid wearing?” Instantly Tony felt excited that Rhodey was able to speak when he could barely catch his breath._ _

__“Jacket,” Tony sputtered, "and periodic table shirt.”_ _

__“Happy that seems to match. Is Peter, ok?”_ _

__“He’s roughed up but ok. They say it looks like he was jumped or mugged. Overall it sounded like the kid was fine.” Tony breathed a breath of relief. “He’s at St. Joseph’s Medical. I’m heading to him now.”_ _

__“I’ll get him Hap, no worries,” Tony said. Finally regaining his composure or some part of it._ _

__He had to go find his kid._ _

~/~

__Peter woke up feeling like he’d been hit by a truck. He couldn’t move his neck and there were lights everywhere. Why were the lights so bright?_ _

__“They just must have kicked the kid pretty good after he was out. Those ribs are gonna be healing for a while.”_ _

__Then another voice went off. “Possible concussion?” Peter whined when the super bright light shone in his eyes. “He’s with us!”_ _

__“Honey, can you tell us your name?” Peter tried to think but his head hurt so bad._ _

__“P-Peter um Parker,” he said closing his eyes again._ _

__“Who do you live with Peter? Is it your mom or dad?”_ _

__“S-stark,” he said. He wasn’t sure but it felt like the cart stopped for a moment._ _

__“Tony Stark?” He heard someone curse before looking down at him. “This just got crazier, someone tell the front desk. We don’t need Iron Man coming down here saying we neglected his pet.” W-what? Peter’s eyes slid shut before he could ask what that meant._ _

~/~

__“I need Peter Parker,” Tony said when he ran up to the desk. An officer appeared out of nowhere frowning at him._ _

__“We found him alone and bleeding in an alley. Why was he walking alone at that time of the night?” Tony didn’t like the insinuation and scowled at the man._ _

__“Where is my kid?” The officer rolled his eyes._ _

__“I’ll take you to him once you answer my questions. Well, have to perform an investigation.”_ _

__“Peter comes first and if you don’t move I’m going to find him myself,” Tony said practically daring the man to say something to challenge him._ _

__“Mr. Stark, Peter asked for you. He’s in room 253.” That was all Tony needed to take off in a sprint. He skipped the elevators and went straight for the stairs. He took them two at a time hoping to get to Peter as soon as he could._ _

__As soon as he saw the room he skidded to a stop. Tony’s breath caught in his throat as he saw Peter laying in the hospital bed with his knees pulled to his chest and face buried in his arms. He was still wearing his jeans, but his shirt had been removed and a paper shirt was on him. There was a gross looking blanket wrapped around his shivering form._ _

__Tony was so not ready for his._ _

__“Pete,” he breathed out. The boy looked up with tears streaming down his bruised face. Tony rushed toward him and to his surprise, Peter reached for him. The boy buried his face into Tony’s torso and latched his arms around the man. “I’m so glad that you’re safe.”_ _

__“I’m sorry,” he sobbed out._ _

__“Hey now, none of that,” Tony tried to say as gently as he could. He feared it came out as a growl instead of soft like he wanted._ _

__“Please, I’m sorry I really I am. l-I didn’t mean to worry you, Mr. Stark. Please don’t send me away it wasn’t on purpose! Really I won’t be any more trouble!” Tony felt like a knife plunge into his chest. He pulled away from the hug and cupped Peter’s face gently with his hands and looked into the big brown orbs._ _

__“It’s not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for.” He saw tears slip down Peter’s cheeks._ _

__“I left Ned’s house. I walked there so many times before I didn’t think it would matter.” He saw Peter start to cry again. “I’m sorry, I thought it was Happy.” Tony pulled Peter into another tight gripped hug. The boy stiffened and then wrapped his arms tightly around Tony’s neck._ _

__“I was so worried,” Tony said into the boy’s hair._ _

__“I’m, sorry.”_ _

__“It’s not your fault, Peter. It’s not.”_ _

__“I was so scared,” he sobbed into the man’s neck._ _

__“You’re safe now. I’m right here and I’ll keep you safe.” The words sounded foreign coming off his tongue, but oh so perfect in the moment. Peter sunk into Tony’s embrace with the words that were spoken. It left Tony feeling like he’d done something right for once._ _

__He kept the boy in a hug for as long as Peter wanted. A crick formed in his neck and his arms ached, but Peter hadn't let go so he wouldn’t either. It wasn’t until then that he realized just how much the boy needed and depended on him._ _

__No one had ever needed Tony before._ _

__Not like this._ _

__Finally, Peter broke the hug and curled into himself. It was like he was trying to get away from him. “I’m such a baby. I shouldn’t be freaking out. It was just some punches, right? You get worse all the time and you don’t cry.” Tony hated the look of shame on the kid’s face. He had nothing to be ashamed of._ _

__“Hey, it’s ok to be scared. Anyone would be scared if they were you.”_ _

__Peter looked up with shiny eyes. “Even you?”_ _

__“When I got kidnapped I was scared.”_ _

__Peter looked like he didn’t believe him. “Did you cry?”_ _

__“Yeah kid, I did.” Peter nodded at that. Tony cleared his throat. “You ready to go home and get into your own bed?”_ _

__“Definitely,” he said. Sliding forward._ _

__“Let me grab a wheelchair and a nurse.” Tony felt his heartbreak when the kid's lip started to wobble making him look way younger than he was. “You know what, there’s a button here somewhere.” He found it on the side of the bed and pushed it. “Someone should be here in just a moment, ok? I won’t go anywhere.” With that, he saw Peter visibly relax. “Why don’t you lay back and rest for a bit?” Peter didn’t respond but he let Tony help him go backward on the bed._ _

~/~

__Peter turned his face toward the wall and let several tears slip down his cheeks. Mr. Stark would think he wasn’t worth it now._ _

__They said it!_ _

__If he kept Peter then they would destroy him like the Russian family he’d learned about in school. It made him sick to think about._ _

__Peter didn’t want to go to Maine, but he didn’t want Mr. Stark to leave him either. Ned and MJ showed him horror stories of BFAA kids who were pulled out of their families and sent to specialized schools. Some of the kids were made to train eight to ten hours every day while others were made to study in labs on specialized projects with no outside interactions. If he was dropped by Tony Stark, everyone in the country would be after him._ _

__He’d made the dumbest mistake in his whole life._ _

__They always told him in school to work hard and study so he could have a future, but they never said that it would be like this._ _

~/~

__Ever so often Tony glanced at the kid who he knew was trying to sleep but was very much wide awake. He didn’t want to press the boy, but he wasn’t sure how he could help him. At least the nurse was able to get the kid some juice and some ice packs for his bruised ribs._ _

__Tony was scouring every bit of security footage on his phone while he waited for the slow as molasses hospital staff to process Peter. It was literally taking forever for the stupid doctor to come in to say it was ok to take Peter home. It was making his skin crawl to be in this room with the myriad of germs floating around. If he was honest though, he just wanted to get Peter home so he could be safe in the Tower. They were safe at the Tower and Tony needed that right now._ _

__He needed to know the kid was safe._ _

__Tony almost didn’t register a new voice when the doctor in scrubs stuck his head in. “I’m Dr. Clayton, I just need to give you a quick breakdown so you two can be on your way,” the man said glancing over the chart. Tony saw the man’s jaw clench before he put on his doctor smile again._ _

__That was weird._ _

__“So Peter, how are you feeling,” Dr. Clayton asked._ _

__“Ok,” he said quietly. Tony noticed how the boy tensed around the doctor. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the trauma of the night or if it was something else. Either way, he found himself inching closer toward Peter’s beside. Something inside of him surged with a protectiveness he had never experienced before._ _

__The doctor either didn’t notice or didn’t care what Tony was doing and addressed Peter directly. “You got roughed up pretty good there, but nothing is broken. Your ribs were pretty close to it and the bruising on your fingers is a bit concerning. Just make sure that you get plenty of rest and to take it easy, ok sport?”_ _

__“Don’t call me sport,” Peter spat. Tony was shocked. The kid practically growled at the man. Peter never acted like that. Never. Not even in all of the terrible and cold ways he’d treated Peter, the boy had never spat venom at him. Honestly, he didn’t know what to do. If anything it was kind of funny. The kid had it in him after all._ _

__“Well, I see that your attitude is still as warm as ever, Peter. There’s a script for some basic pain medication and a very light muscle relaxer. It will help with the swelling and hopefully letting him sleep so he can heal. You can go now. Oh and tell your Aunt May I said hi,” the man said. Tony had to catch Peter as the boy lunged off the bed._ _

__“Hey! Whoa, calm down,” Tony said. Peter didn’t stop trying to get past Tony. If anything his clambering intensified and Tony could have sworn that he heard the man snicker as he left the room. “Peter, you’re going to hurt yourself. Just stop. Tell me what’s going on,” he said almost pinning the boy to the mattress._ _

__“That stupid douche got Aunt May transferred because she wouldn’t go on a date with him. She had to work at another hospital for less money.” Tony was in shock._ _

__“Is that why she fell into the lower tax bracket?” With shining eyes, Peter nodded._ _

__“It was right a-after Uncle Ben. May said she wasn’t ready yet, but he didn’t care. He kept asking and asking and then he told her boss she wasn’t charting right.” Tony growled and stood up. He was going to rip that guy to shreds. A small hand touched his forearm._ _

__“Please don’t go,” the boy said so quiet Tony barely heard it. The man softened. Peter literally went from protective nephew to scared little boy in less than five seconds. What a whirlwind this was._ _

__“Don’t worry bud, I won’t go anywhere,” he said but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be making that guy’s life hell._ _

~/~

__When Tony came back into the living room he found Rhodey sitting in one of the armchairs staring at the tv. It always amazed him how loyal the man was. “Did little guy go down ok?”_ _

__“Yeah,” He said flipping back onto the adjacent couch. “He wouldn’t let go of me. It was like a koala was nesting.” Rhodey chuckled._ _

__“He must be scared to death.”_ _

__“Beyond scared. He made me hold his hand when the nurse wheeled him out of the room and he practically went into hysterics when I went to leave so he could take a shower. We settled for me sitting on the toilet.” Tony rubbed his face. “It was exhausting.” And fulfilling but he wouldn’t say that out loud._ _

__“I bet. So what’s the plan?”_ _

__“What do you mean?”_ _

__“What are you going to do with him? He’s scared and needs to be on bedrest. You gonna hire a nurse or something?”_ _

__“Well, I hadn’t thought about it. Maya is his caretaker. She can sit with him.”_ _

__“Oh yeah, the Mandarin chick. You trust her with him?”_ _

__“She’s really good with him honestly. A little annoying to me, likes to do things her own way, but overall really helpful.”_ _

__“Well, I guess you know better than anybody why second chances are so important.” Tony took the implication and promptly ignored it. He had other things on his mind. Seeing Peter’s bruised face and shivering form was something he didn’t think he’d soon forget. “Tony?”_ _

__“Yeah?”_ _

__“Did they say why they took him?” Tony glanced at his friend. Even though he knew that Rhodey would always be there for him it was mind-blowing to see how invested he was in a boy he’d only met earlier in the day._ _

__Man, he really messed up with Peter._ _

__He needed to fix that as soon as possible._ _

__“Tones?”_ _

__“Uh yeah. It was intimidation. A message to me,” he said feeling sick. “Told the kid basically if he took over they’d destroy my line like the Romanovs.”_ _

__“Wait, you mean like that one family that they um, well yeah.”_ _

__“Exactly like that.” Tony sighed. Peter had been so scared on the way back to the Tower that he’d repeated it to Tony like nine times._ _

__“Why? Peter’s been here for what a month? More? Why now?”_ _

__“Opportunity? I don’t know. I bragged on him pretty good the other day at some event. Maybe it pissed some people off.” Tony rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “I don’t know how I’m gonna keep him safe now.”_ _

__“He didn’t get a name or a face?”_ _

__“I haven't asked him, but from what I gathered and the security cameras, they grabbed him from behind, put a sack on his head and pummeled him.”_ _

__“That’s heavy. Poor kid must be scared to death.”_ _

__“Beyond.”_ _

__“Tones, this probably wouldn’t have happened if the kid didn’t try and walk by himself. Don’t beat yourself up or obsess. I know you.”_ _

__“Still it was too easy. They could have taken him anywhere and we never would have seen him again. I can’t have that.” Tony felt himself panicking just at the thought._ _

__“Maybe you could give him a way to protect himself like self-defense classes.”_ _

__“Rhodes, I don’t want to put my twelve-year-old seventy-pound kid up against hired thugs with just ninjitsu.” Rhodey snorted._ _

__“So what do you propose Mr. Brain? What are you going to do with _your _kid?”___ _

____“I’ve been thinking of making a watch gauntlet for the kid.”_ _ _ _

____“Tony! That’s a weapon, are you crazy? That’s insane and not to mention illegal.”_ _ _ _

____“Is it not both insane and illegal to steal a kid? I have the right to protect him.”_ _ _ _

____“Cause he’s _your _kid?” Tony glared at his friend who had a wide and so very smug smile on his face. “Hey don’t shoot the messenger,” he said with his hands up, “I’m just reminding you about what you just said.” Tony stared a hole into his friend. “It’s kinda funny though. Of all the kids you find the one that could be your clone. He’s like Tony Stark for a new generation.” Tony threw a cornut at Rhodey’s head._ _ _ _ __

____“Anyway,” he said. “Maybe I could make him a wrist gauntlet with non-lethal force.”_ _ _ _

____“Maybe you could give the kid a bodyguard?”_ _ _ _

____“Knowing Peter he’d probably spiral thinking that I think he’s weak or something.” Tony put his head in his hands. “What am I gonna do Rhodes?”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t know, _dad _.” Tony let his head snap up._ _ _ _ __

____“Get out. I hate you.” Rhodey let out a hearty laugh._ _ _ _

____“This is priceless,” he said between chuckles._ _ _ _

____“Boss, Peter appears in distress,” Friday called out. Both men stilled._ _ _ _

____Tony was already on his feet heading toward the boy's room. “What’s wrong with him Friday?”_ _ _ _

____“He’s moaning and he has developed a fever.” Tony sighed._ _ _ _

____Just great._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next...Tony and a sick Petey navigate some rough terrain and a familiar face returns.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, everyone for the lovely comments! I'm a little behind in responding but I read them ALL! I really love how invested you all are in this story and it makes it so much more fun to write.

It felt like he was baking all over. His hair was glued to his skin and his body felt like it was run over by a truck. Why did he feel so weird...and miserable? 

A shiver overcame him when he remembered what happened. 

He groaned. 

He should have fought back harder or at least not cried like a baby. If anyone saw him like that he would have never heard the end of it. ‘Puny Parker’ strikes again. 

Peter gasped when he felt a cool hand on his forehead. It felt so good. “May?”

“Nope, it’s Tony.” 

Wait, what? 

“Mr. Stark?” Peter groaned again miserably. Great. He didn’t need the man thinking he was a baby. 

“You’re thinking too much Peter.” Cracking his eye open Peter saw the man looking down at him with concern etched across his face. “How are you feeling bud?” 

“Hot. Sweaty. Gross.” He heard Tony laugh. 

“Uh, Friday said you have to take some cough medicine. Think you can sit up for that?” Peter didn’t answer but did his best to prop himself up. “You’re feeling pretty warm there. I’m hoping this breaks the fever.” Peter downed the medicine even though he was rather suspicious. Mr. Stark wouldn’t try to poison him, would he? 

After gagging over the gross cough syrup Peter tried to pull himself into a sitting position. It took every ounce of energy that he had but he managed to do it. He really felt terrible. 

He looked around for his phone, but he didn’t see it. Great, now he had no idea what time it was. “Um, Mr. Stark, do you see my phone?” 

“You didn’t have it on you when they found you.” Peter glanced at the man. If he didn’t know better he would have thought the man sounded guilty. He shook his head, that couldn’t be it.

Tony Stark didn’t feel guilt. 

At least that’s what those two guys told him last night. They said Stark couldn’t feel guilt. He’s climbed on countless people to get where he is. Guilt couldn’t be in Tony Stark’s category. 

“Peter?” He looked up at the man who was looking at him with sad eyes. “Are you ok?”

“They probably threw it out the window or something,” Peter said eventually. “I saved up my birthday, Christmas, and science fair prize money for that phone.” Willing himself not to cry he shook his head. Mr. Stark didn’t like it when he cried. Man, if this wasn’t so unfair. 

He rolled and did his best to push himself off the bed not bothering to look back at the man. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Take a shower? Get ready for lab with Maya,” he said as it was the most obvious thing in the world. Apparently feeling awful gave him some courage. Go figure.

“Nope. You can barely stand plus you’re on bed rest per doctor ‘can’t keep his hands to himself’.” Peter glared at the man. “Back in the bed kid.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” he said rolling his eyes. 

“Snark? Hmmm, didn’t know you had it in you kid.” Peter still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Mr. Stark told him over and over that sleep and feelings don’t matter when it comes to business. This had to be one of those tests Mr. Stark liked to give him. 

“I’m going to get ready,” Peter said firmly.

“No, you’re not. You’re going to lay here and wait for Maya,” Mr. Stark said just as firmly. Peter glared at the man with as much energy as he could muster. 

“You’re not going to trick me ok? I’m smarter than that.” To his great surprise, Mr. Stark rolled his eyes and stood up. Oh no! Peter stepped backward quickly as the man advanced. Mr. Stark seemed as taken aback as he did and stopped mid-step. Peter felt the hammering thump in his chest when Mr. Stark opened his mouth and closed it several times. 

“Did you think I was going to hit you?” Peter didn’t know how to respond. “Peter,” he demanded. “Did you think I was going to hit you?”

“Well I uh, maybe?” The expression on Mr. Stark’s face was clear. He was hurt. 

“I wasn’t going to hit you, kid. I would never do that,” he said firmly but with a voice heavy with emotion. “I canceled all of your lessons for the next three days so go back to bed.” Before he could comprehend what happened, Mr. Stark was gone. 

Finally believing him, Peter collapsed backward onto the bed. 

~\~

Tony was sitting staring at the bottle on the table in front of him. He was fighting to remain in control, but his past was winning the tug of war. 

_Be who you’re supposed to be Anthony._

Being Iron Man, an Avenger, surviving kidnappings, and encountering Howard Stark all meant that he was used to pain...anguish even. 

None of that compared to the sheer agony that came when Peter looked at Tony like he was going to hit him. The kid actually took a step backward. He’d never even raised his hand to the boy. Never even acted like he would. Was he really that much like Howard?

“Tony?” He pulled himself out his thoughts and looked up to see Maya walking in hair swinging as she set her bag down on the couch.

“Hansen,” he said clearing his throat. Their eyes connected as she looked at the bottle on the table, but neither of them chose to mention it. 

“I came as soon as I heard. How’s Peter?” He leaned back in the chair letting it groan underneath his weight. 

“Scared.”

“I bet. It’s all over the news. They said he was beaten up pretty good.” 

“What? Friday get Pepper on the phone. How did the news get ahold of this?” Maya shrugged. 

“Boss, Ms. Potts says that your appearance at the hospital was more than anyone could contain. She is managing the fallout currently and will update you when she can,” the AI said. Tony rolled his eyes trying to mask the panic that was rising in his chest. 

“He’s uh waiting on you,” Tony managed to get out. Maya nodded.

“He still wants to go to the lab?” Tony shook his head before standing. 

“No, he has a cold,” he said staring down at his phone as he frantically typed a detailed email to Pepper. 

“I can’t watch him.” That got Tony’s attention. His head snapped up instantly. 

“Hansen, you’re his nanny. Coming from someone who’s had like a million nannies that’s kind of in the job description.” Maya scoffed and shook her head dramatically.

“So glad that your ego still allows you to only hear what you want. I told you I don’t do sick kids. I have a compromised immune system.”

“Extremis?”

“I did an early round of it on myself. Didn’t turn out so well. Jacked up my insides a bit, makes me susceptible to illness,” she said quietly. “Can’t share something with the world that you haven’t tried yourself.” The stillness settled in the air. They both seemed to be deep in their thoughts. Questioning the actions of their past. Choices don’t seem so significant until they blow up in your face. “I guess I should go. Call me when he’s better,” she said slinging her bag back onto her shoulder. 

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“Take care of him,” she said in an obvious tone. 

“I don’t know how to do that? I’m not a nurse!” 

“Well you better learn. That sick kid is going to need a lot of help. So figure it out.” Tony let out a frustrated growl when she walked out of the room. He literally had no clue how he was supposed to do this for the kid. The kid would need a personal nurse. 

He smiled to himself...he was a genius after all. 

~\~

Peter woke up again feeling like his brain was boiling in his skull. He was truly miserable. If he took the blankets off he was ice cold as soon as they were back on he was boiling. 

He wanted Aunt May. 

She always made him feel so safe; so loved and so sure that no matter what he would get through it. They were always going to get through it together. 

He missed that and he missed her. 

“Cub?” Peter blinked several times before seeing the familiar brown wavy hair in his face. Tears started to stream down his face. “Hey don’t cry, I’m right here.” 

“You can’t be here, I’m dreaming,” he said almost sobbing. “Please, why is my brain a blessing and a curse? I couldn’t dream about anything else?” 

“Peter, it’s me, Aunt May. I’m right here.” Peter shook his head as the woman placed her hand on his face. “Mr. Stark called me because you’re sick and need help.” She smiled down at him. “I brought Mr. Wizard the science bear.” He stilled on the bed trying to sit up.

“Aunt May?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Not caring if it was a dream or not he leaned forward into her embrace. “I’ve missed you so much, Peter.” He couldn’t respond. All he managed to do was cry into her chest. He missed her more than anything. 

~\~

Tony had watched May and Peter from the doorway for almost ten minutes before he excused himself. Even though what he’d done was legal he felt like a real bastard. Peter needed his aunt slash mother in the worst way. It should be illegal to do what he’d done and yet in the eyes of the law, he was an upstanding citizen while ‘never broken a law in his life’ Captain America was a fugitive. 

Go figure. 

Tony had once again been sitting by himself thinking. He thought about Rhodes and Happy and even Maya. They’d all been echoing the same thing…’you have to help him’. Tony knew what they were saying was true he just didn’t know how to pull it off. He’d never been a kid himself not really anyway. From as early as he could remember he was posing for photographers, learning boardroom etiquette, and training to be the new face of Stark Industries. He thought that what he was doing was right. He was a success, but he’d been miserable. Now he’d forced Peter to be miserable too. 

A giant marble settled in the back of his throat. How could he help Peter if he couldn’t even help himself? 

“Stop your self-pity.” Turning around he saw May Parker standing in scrubs looking like she’d just fought a war.

“How is he?

“Sleeping. I gave him some antibiotics and the pain reliever. He should be out for a couple of hours.” Tony nodded numbly. “Oh and if he gets sweaty like that, tell him to take a shower and change his sheets. He was practically fermenting in his own juices.” Normally Tony would snark back, but the guilt was weighing on him heavier than a ton. “I left instructions with your computer thing. Peter said it was gonna help him remember when and how to take the medication.” Again he nodded but didn’t respond. “He’s a little boy you know. He can’t be expected to ward off a serious illness like this alone. You’ll have to help him.” He was so tired of hearing that. Tony Stark was a ruiner of lives. He was well aware. The constant reminders weren’t necessary. 

“He’ll be taken care of,” he said coldly. She scoffed.

“That’s what you told me when you took him from me. He’ll be taken care of,” she echoed icily. “Well, my son is miserable, he cried for the first hour and then proceeded to tell me how scared he was that you were going to send him away and that he thought he might never see me or his friends again. You’re really taking care of him.” Tony couldn’t take any more guilt. He was already buried under a mountain of it. He let out a shuddering breath before fighting the panic attack off. This couldn’t happen, not in front of her. 

“Boss? May I suggest telling Mrs. Parker about the Shopping Cart Protocol?” Tony smiled at his feet. He loved that AI.

“Go ahead,” he said walking to go get a drink for himself. 

“According to the Better Futures Act, the child in question does not have to reside solely in the custody of the parties who are providing the resources, although they do have to maintain primary custody. Per Mr. Stark’s latest amendment he desires to grant you custody of Peter three days a week while he retains Peter for four days. It is his belief that by allowing this joint agreement that Peter will be given the emotional, mental, and intellectual support he needs to thrive and one day become the heir to Stark Industries.”

“What are you saying,” May asked with a hoarse voice. “You want to give me back my child?” 

“Yes,” Tony said after a while. “I would return him to you completely, but um if I did then he would go back into the pool of available kids and I’m afraid he would be taken by someone who would just want to get back at me.” He finally felt confident enough to look her in the eyes. 

“So you’re serious? He will be able to live with me just like before?” 

“For a portion of the week, yes.” May’s smile turned watery.

“Thank you,” she gasped out. “Thank you so much.” She wiped her eyes. “You won’t take this away, right? Like the visitation. Peter can’t go through that so if you think you’re going to change your mind, don’t even start the process.” Did everyone really think he was that cold? He shook his head. Maybe he had been. 

“I won’t change my mind although there are several stipulations. I maintain control over his academic education which means he will still need to be here after school for his tutoring sessions and you’ll need to move into a new apartment, of your choosing of course.” 

“We don’t need to move. We’ve been there for years. No one will bother us there.” 

“If you don’t move then this won’t work. I have enemies and they clearly have shown they’re not against beating the hell out of a child to prove a point. I don’t doubt they wouldn’t stoop as low as to come after you either. Whether you like it or not he is the heir to a billion dollar company and I want to make sure that he’s safe.” Tony blew out a tense breath. “I’d prefer if you moved in here and had your own floor, but I didn’t think you’d go for that.” 

“I would do anything for Peter,” she said pointedly. “If that’s what it will take then I would do that, but since you’re offering to move to a new place I wouldn’t mind as long as it’s close to my work and his school.” He nodded.

“You can choose May. I’ll get you in touch with my realtor.” She took a commanding step forward. 

“Tony Stark hear me when I say this, Peter Parker, not an asset, he’s not just a means to continuing your line, he’s a person, and most importantly he’s a little boy. I know him better than anyone in this world and I can guarantee you that if you keep treating him like he’s a piece on a chessboard you’ll break something in him I don’t think he’ll ever get back. He’s too loving, too sensitive, and too insecure. If you want this to work you need to stop treating him like he’s going to make you money and treat him,” she paused searching for the right word.

“What you want me to do, treat him like my son?” He didn’t know why he said it that way; with such venom but he did. 

“No, I know you’re incapable of that. Just treat him like he’s Peter. He’s a little boy who’s smarter than almost anyone he knows yet he still goes looking for a special bear from his parents or a sweatshirt from his Uncle when he gets scared. Just remember that. He may have an adult brain, but he’s just a kid.” Tony was speechless. He’d heard that before, but it didn’t click for him then like it did now. That was how he’d felt his entire childhood. If just one person would have stepped in and said it, maybe he wouldn’t have lost so many years. “I have to get going, but um, thank you again.” He cleared his throat.

“I um May, I don’t know how to help him through this the uh illness I mean.” 

“Star Wars, lots of chicken soup, and just sit with him. He has a small bear that helps calm him down. Call me if you have any questions.” She gave him a soft smile before turning and leaving. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Call me Tony,” he barely managed to get out before the elevator closed. 

~\~

Flopping backward onto his bed Tony Stark had never been so exhausted. He’d spent the better part of the afternoon trying to keep the sick child in his care alive. It was amazing how seventy pounds could feel like a ton when it was floppy, sweaty, deadweight in his arms. 

A couple of hours after May had left Friday told him to give Peter another round of cough syrup. The problem was that it abruptly came right back up and ended up all over the boy’s sheets and his pajama top. Tony helped him peel off the gross clothes before shoving the kid toward the shower while he tried to figure out how to redo the bed. He chose to just skip the top sheet and replace the comforter and the fitted sheet before throwing the gross ones down the laundry shoot. Just as he was about to collapse on the couch he heard a crash in the bathroom. Running inside he found Peter on all fours next to the vanity tray that the kid liked to keep by the shower. There were Lego pieces and toy planes. It was moments like this that he remembered that Peter was really a child. 

The next hour felt like days when Tony watched the boy painfully try to stand in the shower before demanding he put his own clothes on even though he kept falling. When he was finally back in bed, Tony took that as his cue to run like hell. 

And run he did. 

Initially he wanted to go to the lab, but his legs wouldn’t take him that far. He made it to his room and felt like that was an accomplishment. Soon he felt himself slip into a peaceful rest.

“Boss?” Tony groaned. 

“What is it Fri?”

“Peter’s fever has spiked substantially. It is now at 103.1 I suggest you call a doctor immediately.” Tony sat up fully alert. 

“G-get May Parker on the phone!” The phone rang three times before an annoyed voice answered.

“Yeah Tony?”

“It’s Peter. He has a fever of 103.1. Friday says that’s serious, what do I do?” He knew he sounded frantic but he had a right to. 

“Ok, um where is he?” 

“He’s in his room,” he said running down the hall to where Peter was. 

“Ok, I need you to get his fever down immediately. Is he awake?”

“No, he fell asleep maybe an hour ago?” He walked forward and put his hand on Peter’s forehead. “Kid is boiling.” 

“Alright do you have a bathtub?” 

“In my room.”

“You’re going to have to run a cold bath and let him sit in it. Keep him in there until it drops at least to 102.7. I have to go, but call me back ok? I need to know what happens.” The call ended and Tony tried to wake Peter, but all he got in return were a bunch of groans. Picking the boy up bridal style he sprinted back to his room as he hollered directions to Friday. He didn’t bother to take the kids pajamas off and settled him into the tub. As soon as he set Peter in the water, the boy’s eyes snapped open.

“Cold!” 

“I know, bud,” Tony said as he had to firmly push Peter back in the water. “Friday give him a little warmth but not too much.” The extra heat must have helped because Peter relaxed. Something in Tony broke when Peter’s head lolled to the side and he started to cry. Not sure why he started to gently run his fingers through the boy’s hair. “It’s going to be ok, Pete. Really.”

“Cold,” he whined again.

“I know, but we’ve got to get your fever down.”

“Ben?” Tony’s fingers stilled. Who was Ben? Peter opened his eye and gazed at Tony like he was a new exhibit. Reaching out he put his now cold hand against Tony’s face. “May won’t like your beard,” he said sleepily. “I miss May.”

“You’ll see her soon Pete.” Tears started to slide down the boy’s cheek as he rested his head on the side of the tub again. Tony's heart clenched at the sight. The kid looked so miserable. His ears were red and he was making a wheezing sound when he cried. He desperately wanted to make the boy's pain go away. The more he tried, the worse it seemed to get. 

“It’s going to be ok Peter,” he said gently. 

“No, it’s not. Mr. Stark took her from me. First, my parents left, then you, now her. He said if I was good he wouldn’t take her from me. I tried Ben. I tried so hard. He still won’t let me see her,” he started to sob harder. “Why’d you have to fight that fire, Ben? If you stayed then we’d be together. I miss you, I miss May.” Tony tried to calm the boy again by gently pushing Peter’s sweaty hair out of his eyes.

“May’s going to be here soon, Peter.” Again the boy opened his eyes.

“You promise?” He felt a lump in his throat. 

“Yeah Pete,” he said hoarsely. “I promise.” That seemed to put the boy at ease and he let his head slump against the tub. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey!! Sorry for the delay! Talk about one doozy of a week! Enjoy!

Tony took a deep breath as he opened his eyes. The boy against his chest was sleeping soundly. He breathed a sigh of relief at the look of contentment on his face. 

The fever had finally broken. 

Thank God. 

After two straight days of ice baths, changing sheets, and laundry Tony was so excited to know that things would be returning to normal. 

...Well the new normal. 

He definitely didn’t want things to go back to how they’d been. He needed to be better for Peter. 

Better for everyone. 

If you had asked Tony Stark two months ago if he’d ever have a child sleeping in his arms he would have asked what drugs you were on. Yet in the moment he felt more at peace than he ever had before. 

It was weird yet somehow perfect.

He took a good hard look at Peter who was currently drooling on his chest. Peter’s hair was still unruly and the curls were flopping everywhere. For the first time since he’d been keeping an eye on him, Peter looked like he was actually resting. The boy had been fighting for so long and rest was due to him. Tony felt so guilty about all of the pain that he’d added to the boy’s life. He was going to rectify that as soon as he could. 

“Friday? Let May Parker know that I'll have Peter call her when he wakes up. Also, let her know she can stay at Tower anytime she’d like until they can get find a new place.” The AI flashed the lights twice in affirmative to avoid waking Peter. “I also need you to order some new stuff for Peter’s new room. Choose based off your observations of his preferences. Kid’s a big fan of red and get him a nice bunk bed set so his friend can visit.” The lights blinked again. 

It was about time this became Peter’s home too. 

~\~

Slowly Peter’s eyes flickered open. His head was resting on something kind of soft but warm. It wasn’t a pillow. He rubbed his eye with his palm and was met with a smell of cologne, motor oil, and sweat. He made a face. Gross. Picking his head up Peter almost choked when he saw that he’d been laying on Tony Stark’s chest! 

What happened? Where was Uncle Ben?

It him all in a flash….Uncle Ben was gone. 

This was so bad. 

“You’re up?” Peter closed his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. He felt Mr. Stark’s hand against his forehead. “You seem cooler and you seem coherent. Do you feel better?”

“I-I guess.”

“Well since you can speak full sentences and not in that weird Yoda language I guess I’d say you’re ok.” Mr. Stark sat up. “You had us worried kid.”

Peter was so very confused but tried to not show it. He still felt a bit tired if he was honest. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? Getting sick?” Mr. Stark sat up shaking his head. “That’s nonsense. No one should be sorry for that. Not like you could control it.” Peter nodded but didn’t say anything. “You probably want to take a shower and change into your own clothes. The laundry is done finally, so they should be brought up shortly.” Peter looked down seeing he was in an oversized MIT T-shirt and a pair of black shorts that looked old and worn. 

“Whose are these?”

“They’re mine. I found them in the bottom of one of my drawers.”

“Why am I wearing them?”

“You puked or sweated through everything in your closet. It was either my clothes or let you sit buck naked. The latter was never an option of course.” Mr. Stark slid out of the bed and let his bones crack. “Your bed sucks kid.”

“I like it.”

“Of course you do. You weigh less than two rocks. Speaking of which, after you take a shower I’ll have some lunch ready for you. We’ve got to get your strength up.” As Peter watched him leave a flash of anger spread through him. Who did this guy think he was? He threatened him for months and now he wanted to be his friend? Peter shook his head. That wasn’t going to happen.

~\~

“Peter hates me. He won’t take anything I try to give him.” Tony’s head was in his hands as he made his frustrations known. It had been one week since Peter’s fever had broken and one week since the boy let the man near him. No matter how nice Tony tried to be, Peter sent it back in his face. “I don’t know what to do. I’m trying not to yell at him, but he literally does the opposite of what I say.”

He heard the woman shuffle on her end of the phone. “Why do you think that is?”

“Because he likes driving me crazy?” May didn’t answer for a while. Tony’s heart rate picked up with each passing second. 

“Tony, Peter’s has little to no control over anything in his life for as long as he can remember. This is him trying to be in control even if it’s only over your emotions.” Well, that pissed him off. The kid was doing it simply to make Tony’s life miserable. Silently he made plans to get back at the kid. “From what he’s told me you plan almost every second of every day for him. That’s not healthy. You need to work out a healthy amount of boundaries and autonomy.” Tony understood the words, but the concept was foreign. His entire life was planned for him it was only well into adulthood that he was able to figure things out on his own. 

“Ok,” he drawled out. 

“So, just give him some rope and choices and let things play out from there,” she said helpfully. 

“And what if I do this and it still doesn’t work? Then what to do I?” He knew the condescending tone was unnecessary, but man if this whole ‘kid in your house’ thing wasn’t throwing him for a loop. 

“As much as I hate to say it, you have to give him consequences and boundaries.” Ok, now that was a shocker. He was expecting her to go off on him or tell him how oblivious was...definitely not that.

“Didn’t see that one coming.” He heard May give a soft chuckle over the phone. A part of him was confused as to why she was being so nice suddenly, but he wasn’t going to ask questions. The kid was driving him nuts and any insight would help.

“You said he’s not eating anything you make him, right? If he refuses to eat what you make him then him one other option. If he refuses both then tell him he has to skip that meal.” That sounded way harsher than anything he’d ever expect from May Parker, but then again he’d never expect Peter to slam the door in his face either. It had been a week full of firsts. “You know, you can ask him what he wants before you make it? That will give him a little control too. Then if he refuses remind him that it was his choice and he has to eat it.” That made sense. “He’s a good kid, but he’s a kid. Just be firm but not overly so.”

“This is so hard, May. I’m trying, but it’s not working.”

“You did uproot his life and treat him poorly for almost two months. He’s not going to open up and start trusting you just because you’re having a change of heart or because you brought him lunch.”

“Like I said the kid hates me,” Tony said. 

“He doesn't hate you. I don’t actually think he’s capable of hate, but he doesn’t trust you. If you want him to you’re going to have to prove to him that you care about him slowly and consistently. That’s the only way you’ll build a bond with him.” Tony nodded at her words ‘slowly and consistently’. “I know you can do it.” If he hadn’t been so focused on that he might not have been so floored by what she’d just said. 

Wait, What? 

Tony was so confused. Wasn’t she the one who wasted no time telling him just how awful a person he was?

“I’m lost. You said I can’t treat him like my son because I’m incapable of it. Essentially calling me an animal. Now all of a sudden you think I do this?” 

“You have been a real bastard about all of this there’s no denying that. You made things much harder than if needed to be because of your own gigantic ego, but I have a friend who works at St. Joseph’s and she told me that you almost fought a cop, before sprinting up the stairs to find Peter. She said she’s only ever seen genuine fear and concern like that in parents or really close loved ones. Everyone was talking about how the calloused Tony Stark sat with the poor boy from Queens for almost an hour while he cried and how you never left his side. I don’t know you well Tony Stark, but that doesn’t sound like a man who doesn’t care. Everyone who was there that night knows how much you care.” 

“Oh.” Tony heard her laugh. Like genuinely laughing at him. “What?”

“You have the world fooled Tony Stark, but I see your game now. It’s all a show. If I had to bet money on it, I’d say that you didn’t take a shower in days because you’d been sitting with Peter.” Tony wanted to remark back but he couldn’t. One simple request to Friday to review the footage could tell her that she was right. “I knew it! So you and I know there’s no denying it. Now just prove it to Peter,” she said as still laughing smugly as he disconnected the call. 

That was definitely not how he planned that to go. 

~\~

Peter had Pandora playing at full blast through the speakers. He was reading through his notes for the robotics competition at MIT. Rubbing his eyes he yawned. It was his plan to be much further in the modules and assessments by now, but he lost almost a week of time that he had planned to study. Now he was behind. 

So far behind! 

He didn’t want to show that he was stressed out, but he was STRESSED.

There was so much riding on the MIT Robotics competition. He knew that Mr. Stark won every year he entered. 

Every year for seven years. 

How was Peter supposed to compete with that? 

He was no Tony Stark, but somehow everyone was expecting him to be. “Peter? Boss is inquiring what you would like for dinner.”

“I’m not hungry, I’ll get something out of the pantry later,” Peter said rolling his eyes. 

“Boss says that’s not an adequate response. He expects you to make a choice within the hour or he will pick for you.” 

“Fine!” Peter didn’t have time to eat, he needed to get through at least ten more modules before he fell asleep. His laptop was whirring with combinations and new renders for his most recent design. 

He opened his newest textbook and reviewed the notes that Maya helped him put together earlier. Everyone was depending on him to win. He couldn’t let Aunt May down. 

A knock came to his door. Expecting it to be Mr. Stark, he didn’t acknowledge it. It wouldn’t matter because Mr. Stark would come in anyway. “Just a few more seconds,” he muttered. Just as he expected the door popped open, but it definitely wasn’t the person that he was expecting. Standing in the doorway was Lt. Colonel James Rhodes wearing the braces that Peter had fashioned for him.

“Hey,” he said. 

“Hi Mr. Rhodes,” Peter said sort of in awe. Even though he lived with Iron Man, it was still kind of crazy that the Iron Patriot was standing in front of him. “Can I help you with something? I think Mr. Stark is in the workshop.” 

“It’s ok, I wanted to talk to you, actually.” Peter sighed. He really didn’t have time for this. 

“I have a lot of work to catch up on,” Peter started to say, but he could tell that by Mr. Rhodes’ posture the man wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon. 

“Aren’t you still on bedrest?” Peter shrugged. “Wow kid, you and Tony are more alike than you think.” Anger flashed through his body. That was probably the worst thing anybody could have said. Peter was nothing like Tony Stark. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I want you to know that you’re justified.”  
That caught Peter off guard. For some reason, he figured that Mr. Rhodes would tell him that Mr. Stark was right, but that didn’t happen. “Um thanks.”

“I mean he was terrible to you for a while, wasn’t he?” Rhodey clicked his teeth. “You don’t have to answer it, I’ve seen it myself. Everyone has. Hell, even the news put out some sensationalized garbage about it. I just want to give you some context for why he’s acting like he is.”

“No,” Peter said.

“No what?”

“I don’t want context. He’s not a nice person and justifying his actions won’t things any better.” Peter wasn’t usually so forward with adults, maybe his consistent smart mouthing Mr. Stark had seeped into his normal interactions.

“I uh wow. Wow.” Peter felt his air still in this chest. Pissing Mr. Rhodes off would probably be terrible in Mr. Stark’s eyes. He tried to clean it up.

“Y-yeah. He could have just listened. He didn’t have to make everything so hard,” he said quietly. 

“You know you might think he made you miserable, but even still you didn’t have it as bad as he did when he was your age.” Peter rolled his eyes. That wasn’t an excuse. “You think Tony’s bad? Howard Stark was a complete bastard.”

“That doesn’t make it ok,” Peter said staring at his computer screen. Even if Mr. Stark had a bad childhood, it didn’t justify treating Peter like an animal. Nothing anyone said would change that. 

“No, it doesn’t, but it’s all Tony knows. He didn’t grow up in a loving home like you did. From as early as he can remember he’s been groomed, not raised but groomed. He had etiquette classes, nannies, butlers, and steely tight edged expectations. He learned to tie a tie when he was four. Like who needs a tie at four, let alone learns to tie one that young? By the time he was seven he was living ten months out of the year in Maine and his parents visited when he screwed up or when they felt like it. I know you know about all those awards he won, but I bet you didn’t know that he never had one person stand there to congratulate him when he did.” Even though Peter wanted to hold onto his anger it was hard. He hadn’t really thought about Mr. Stark the person. Sure he knew about Iron Man and about the playboy persona, but he never heard about the man behind the iron so to speak. Hearing this was really breaking his resolve. “Tony’s not a bad guy Peter. He’s confused.”

“Ok,” Peter said staring at his keyboard.

“I mean, when I finally talked to him about you he told me somethings. He’s so proud of you and he thinks you can surpass him one day soon.” Peter turned around in his chair to look at Mr. Rhodes. Clearly, he was joking, right? “Peter, he said you’re smarter than he was at your age. Yeah, he’s hard on you, but he was taught that’s how you push someone to their potential.”

Peter tightened his grip on the pen in his hand. “He doesn’t have to push so hard,” he replied firmly. 

“Peter, he may have done things the wrong way, but there’s a reason he chose you and I know he sucks at showing it, but he really cares about you.” Peter seriously doubted that. “He almost had a panic attack when he found out you were taken. He was so scared that someone had hurt you and he wouldn’t be able to find you.” 

“R-really?’’

“Am I telling the truth, Friday?”

“You are Colonel Rhodes. Boss, had a mild panic attack upon learning of Peter’s abduction.” Peter was shocked. He figured that Mr. Stark was concerned, but he never would have thought the man would be actually worried about him. A part of him hoped that Mr. Stark would be, but he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up. The whole ordeal had been taxing and terrifying. As much as he wanted to think that the hug at the hospital wasn’t for a show there was Flash's voice in the back of his mind telling him that it was. 

“I know me telling you this stuff won’t fix anything right away. I just want you to understand why he’s acting the way that he does. Just hear me out, ok?”

“Ok.”

“Tony’s dad sucked. No other way to say it. Used to beat the hell out of him for the smallest things. Demanded excellence and pushed him relentlessly. I remember one time he early freshman year before he decided to just buck his father’s expectations, he skipped the day of class to come to the beach with my family. It was such a pretty day, we rode jet skis, had a barbecue, built sand castles, and it was perfect. He actually looked fourteen instead of like the little businessman he always acted like. I’d known him for like three months at that point and it was the first time I saw him really relaxed and smiling. At first, I thought it was so weird, like why is he so excited about the beach? He told me later that he’d never been to one before. His dad was working and his mother hated the sand. Can you imagine that? All the money in the world, but he was fourteen years old and never been to a beach. Well, when we got back that night his dad was sitting on his bed waiting in the dorm for us. One of the professors had called him saying Tony hadn’t shown up. I’ll never forget how quickly that carefree smile disappeared. It was like he became a different person in just a couple of seconds.” Peter watched Mr. Rhodes close his eyes a couple of times before the man cleared his throat. “They left to go to dinner or that’s what Howard said, but Tony didn’t come back until Sunday night. When he did he stumbled into the room bleeding and limping. He never said what happened, but I knew. You don’t get a fat lip and a bruised jaw from having a conversation. His dad beat the hell out of him because he skipped one Friday afternoon class to go to the beach.”

“Nobody helped him?”

“How? Howard Stark was one of the most powerful men on the planet. His butler Jarvis did what he could, but he still worked for his father. It wasn’t like he could take Tony and runaway.”

“I get it, Mr. Rhodes, ok? He had a crappy childhood, but that doesn’t make it ok. May and Ben always told me that I can’t treat someone badly because I’m in a bad mood. It’s not ok and it’s not going to be.”

“You’re completely right. He definitely has been wrong, but you know how your aunt and uncle taught you? He never had that. No one taught him about life just about business and building. Those are all he knows. Peter, that’s why I wanted to share these things with you. I want you to see why Tony seems to be teetering. He’s not trying to trick you. He really wants to change things, but he’s dealing with the ghost of his dad. Howard Stark was a hard man who ingrained so much into Tony that he still doesn’t know about. So when you came around he saw so much of himself in you that he wanted to push you to be your best. If it worked for him then it could work for you.”

“But it didn’t work for him, did it?”

“In some ways, I mean he had two Ph.D.’s before he was twenty-one, but he also had only one friend and didn’t know how to actually love someone.” Mr. Rhodes sighed. “Tony’s not like Howard, but sometimes he forgets that he doesn’t have to be who his dad wanted him to be. He’s mostly figured it out, but in some areas, it comes back pretty spectacularly.”

“Ok.” 

“So can you do me a favor? Just cut him some slack.” 

“Why? He’s never once cut me slack.” Peter wanted to let go of his hurt, but it was so hard. Mr. Stark had been terrible to him. 

“This is all new to him and he really is trying to be better for you.” Peter sighed. “You’re a good person, Peter. Anybody can see that. You can help him be better.” The man stood up. “Just try for me, ok?” 

“I’ll try,” Peter said.

“I bet he won’t let you down,” Rhodey said. 

~\~

Tony was feeling rather confused as he stared down at the package in his hands. He desperately wanted Peter to know that he cared, but he was honestly pretty tired of the kid’s antics. 

Shoes left in the middle of the floor. Dishes unwashed. Cushions left off the couch. 

The kid knew better and yet he did it anyway.

That part pissed Tony off royally. 

He would have already given the kid a swift kick in the tail if Friday hadn’t confirmed the kid had been feverishly working on his designs for the Robotics fair. So the kid was in a mood and chose to bury himself in his work. 

That part though actually amused Tony.

What a conumdrum. 

If the kid wasn’t so much like him he probably would have dropped kicked him by now. “Boss, Peter is off the phone with his aunt. Would you like me to summon him?” 

“No, Fri, I think I’ll handle it from here.” Tony pulled himself off the couch and padded how the hallway toward Peter’s room. The new room was done, but Peter didn’t know about yet. He’d planned to tell him at dinner, but Peter had opted to eat dinner in his room. 

Knocking on the door he heard a soft ‘yeah’ before he opened the door. He found Peter sitting on his bed with his shoes throw haphazardly across the room. His laptop was on his lap and the pen was in his mouth. 

“Need something, Mr. Stark?” Tony looked up at Peter’s whose eyes were trained on the textbook next to him. 

“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you.” He heard the boy sigh before he turned the page. “How about you put that down for a second?”

“I’ve got a lot to get through,” the boy huffed out. 

“It can wait,” Tony replied pulling out the desk chair. “I wanted to see what’s been going on with you?” He saw the kid roll his eyes behind those giant glasses he’d been wearing for the last couple of days. 

“Just busy is all.”

“Kid, I know busy. You’ve been downright difficult. So what gives?” He heard Peter mumble something, but he didn’t hear it. “What’d you say?”

“I said like you’d care.” Tony winced. That hurt.

“Peter,” Tony started.

“That’s what you said, right? Business isn’t about emotions. It’s about getting the job done and that’s what I’m doing.” Tony blinked rapidly. Man, if that kid didn’t sound like a parrot of him at that age. He wanted more than anything for Peter to have a different life than him. 

If he wanted Peter to have that different life than he did he would have to make a drastic change and he knew just where to start. “I’ve been thinking Peter. I want to make some changes.” Peter’s head snapped up much faster than Tony would have liked. The kid’s face was covered from inch to inch with fear and dread.

“Like what?” 

“Calm down kid.” Tony tried to exude the aura of nonchalance by setting his bare feet on Peter’s bed. “I’ve got some plans for the next couple of days and I don’t feel like getting on a plane. So how about we skip the robotics competition?” Peter dropped his mouth shocked.

“R-really?”

Judging by Peter’s look of relief, Tony knew that he’d made the right decision. “Yeah.”

“I’ll win Mr. Stark,” Peter said. A flash of pride came over Tony.

“Yeah, kid, I know. I’ve been having Friday send me updates on your work. You’re actually pretty good, kid. Especially to never have touched a robot before, but it’s not really your thing and that’s ok.” The relief Peter that crossed Peter’s face seemed to be immense and immediate. “Besides, I can use your big brain anytime.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.” 

“You’re welcome, kid.” Tony shifted out of the chair and let his feet rest firmly on the floor. “I’m not good at this stuff, but I want you to know it’s ok to be a kid. Since I didn’t get to be one, I want you to do it for me.” He smiled at the boy before he stood up. “Come on.” He walked out of the room and down the hall towards his room and Peter’s new bedroom. The old room was in the hall with the guest stuff was, but he wanted Peter to be closer to him...for his own protection, not for Tony’s sanity of course.

Tony stood at the door waiting for Peter to make it the rest of the way down the hall. “This is your wing, Mr. Stark,” Peter said. Tony rolled his eyes.

“You know, I forgot my room was down here,” he said sarcastically. Peter rolled his eyes. Stepping aside the man gestured for Peter to open the door. Slowly the boy did. Tony held his breath as Friday turned the lights on. 

“Oh my gosh! Wow!” Chuckling Tony followed Peter into the room. There was a wooden deep wood bunk bed, a plush red and white rug, with several framed Star Wars posters on the wall. He’d also made sure that Friday got the kid a desk that moved and had a holotable on it so he could practice with real technology and not just a pen and paper. The kid seemed most intrigued by the set of Chemistry books on the desk. “Is this for me?” 

“No, it’s for the new kid I’m bringing in,” Tony replied before seeing the kid’s face go into a complete panic. “Bad joke. Yes, Peter, it’s for you.”

Peter looked at Tony so terribly confused. “Why Mr. Stark?” 

“Consider it a peace offering. This is your home and you should feel like it.” For the first time in forever, he saw Peter smile at him. 

“Aunt May says that I’m going to live with her some days during the week, is that right?”

“It is. I know you miss her and I’m sure she misses you too. It’ll be good for you,” Tony said. 

“I do miss her. Thank you, Mr. Stark, really. The room and just everything it’s nice. Thank you.” Tony smiled before he remembered the package. He excused himself to jog toward the living room and returned with the box in no time. 

“I almost forgot,” he said handing it to Peter. 

“For me?”

“Yeah kid who else?” He said rolling his eyes dramatically. “I don’t know how to play that thing.” Peter looked down at the game and then back up again. It was like the tension hung in the air was finally gone. 

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Kid, please call me Tony.” 

“You want to play?”

Buying the game for Peter had to have been the best idea Tony had in forever. The kid was laughing and joking with him far more than he remembered. It had been more than an hour, but the game was actually pretty fun. He knew his joints would be hurting in the morning from sitting on the weird game seats Friday had ordered, but Peter’s relaxed posture was enough compensation. 

Tony found himself wondering why his dad never did stuff like this for him. Sure he’d bought him things, many things, but it was never for anything other than to apologize or to get Tony out of his hair while his guests were coming. Any rate, Tony felt much better with the air between him and Peter clearing up. 

Peter cleared his throat causing Tony to turn toward him. They’d been munching on popcorn which left the kid too occupied to speak much in the last ten minutes or so. It had been a welcomed change from the chatterbox that Peter could be. “Um, I have an idea about something. I was thinking about making a watch or something like that um would look normal but be a tracker and could send distress signals like your suits.” 

“Why would you need that Peter?” 

“So I can call for help.” Oh, Tony’s heart broke. “And so you can find me,” he said quieter. 

“We can start on that tomorrow, yeah?” The smile that sat on the boy’s face was enough to imprint itself in his mind. 

Tony Stark knew in that moment, he would spend the rest of his life doing anything he could to protect the boy next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for comments as ALWAYS! Tell me what you think? Y'all digging a contrite Tony?
> 
> Next time....Maya returns and Peter makes some adjustments.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay yet again! What a doooozy of a month it's been! Hopefully, I can get back to my regular posting schedule. Once again thanks for everyone who dropped a comment or a kudos!
> 
> See you down below!

“Draw four cub,” May said with a mischievous glint in her eye. Rolling his eyes Peter reached across the table to grab his cards. They were sitting at the small dining room table in their new apartment. They’d gotten an all-clear from Happy two days ago that the apartment was secure like the Pentagon and that meant Peter had spent almost every waking moment right under his aunt. He helped her unpack, make meals, and slept in her bed tucked under her arms. He felt funny about the whole thing, but she of course wasn’t upset about it at all. If anything she seemed to desire it just as much as he did. “You’ve been quiet. Are you feeling ok,” she asked rubbing his cheek. 

“Oh, I’m fine,” he said placing another card on the pile. He didn’t have to look up to know she was giving him her ‘you’re lying’ look. He sighed. “Aunt May? Do you think Mr. Stark will still let me come next week?” 

“For his sake, I hope so,” his aunt replied icily.

“You know last time he said I could see you, but then I didn’t.” 

“Hey, he promised us, right? We’re just going to have faith.” Peter nodded, but the fear was lingering.

“What if though, what if I don’t get to see you for a while?” 

“You can call me or I can come to you. I promise if it gets that bad I’ll move into the Tower like he wanted ok? I won’t let him take you from me like that again.” When Peter looked into her eyes he saw a fierce determination that grounded him completely. He could count on May. He’d been so nervous, but like always she set his mind at ease. With the tension gone he felt himself easing back into the spirited game. They played for a few more hands before the doorbell rang. 

May stood up from the table and answered the door. Peter couldn’t help but notice how the woman was moving a bit slower than she used to. “Oh you can’t be playing cards with him, he’s a little card shark,” the voice said moving into the apartment. 

“Hey Pete, Maya’s here!” Turning around Peter smiled up at the women. They were so similar and so different. One was the epitome of firecracker and the other was like a summer storm. Somehow though it worked, he’d need both of them in his new life if he was going to succeed. He knew that and he didn’t want to trade them for anything. 

“Ready to get back to the Tower?” Peter sighed but stood up. He wanted to stay with May forever, but he knew that if he whined it would make it harder on her. Sucking his lip in, he took a deep breath.

“Let me get my bag ‘n stuff,” he said putting the cards together. Turning down the hall he walked the short distance into his new bedroom. It had all of his stuff from his old bedroom, but it felt different. More sterile. May promised next weekend they could spend time making it feel more like home, but right now he felt like a guest in his own space. Walking back into the living room he slung his backpack over his shoulders. “Bye May,” he said softly.

“Oh Cub, don’t look like that ok? It’s just a couple of days until we see each other again. Plus you can call me every night.” She cupped his cheeks with her hands and put a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Remember we have plans for next weekend, ok?” 

“Ok.” Peter squeezed the woman’s middle and took a deep whiff of her scent. If he could he would have stayed there forever.right in May’s arms. 

~\~

“Hey, there,” Tony said looking up from his Starkpad. He was expecting Maya and Peter to walk in chatting like they normally did, but that was not what he was met with. Upon entering the suite Peter immediately ran past him on the couch and went directly to his room. “What’s up with him?”

“He’s afraid you won’t let him see May again,” Maya said shrugging.

“I already told the kid he would,” Tony said annoyed. 

“Yeah, but you’ve told him that before.” 

“Is the kid ever going to trust me? I mean what more does he need?”

“It’s not going to come overnight you know. Giving him a game and a new room isn’t going to make him trust you. That’s going to take time.” Sighing he put his feet up on the couch. “It’s kind of funny you know. The mighty narcissistic and petulant Tony Stark is pouting because a preteen is ignoring him.”

“Can you be any more annoying?”

“Hey, I’m just telling it like it is,” she said laughing. “Anyway, he’s done his stuff for the weekend already. I checked it on the way over. So he’s free until we start fresh when he gets out of school on Tuesday.”

“Fine,” Tony huffed out. “Wait, Tuesday?”

“They’re off on Monday, some teacher workshop.” Tony rolled his eyes. He was going to have a sulking kid with him for the next two days. 

Excellent. 

“I sent the agenda for this week to your email, let me know about changes at least a couple of hours in advance,” she said as she left the room. Sitting in a tank top and a pair of shorts, Tony puttered his lips. What was he going to do? 

~\~

“Peter, Boss is requesting your whereabouts,” the AI said over the speakers. He sighed but kept looking into the beaker. It was really late at night, like way past his bedtime but he didn’t care. It wasn’t like he was going to be able to sleep anyway. He was wound way too tight.

No matter how many times he closed his eyes the thoughts never stopped swimming. 

May.

Ben.

The pain of every punch.

Fear.

Worry. 

“Peter, Boss has asked again where you are again.” He blew out a rough breath and readjusted his safety glasses.

“Tell him, I’m studying in my room and I want to be alone.” All of the training he’d done for the robotics fair paid off because he now had a vast knowledge of coding...and how Friday worked. The coding was intricate yet beautiful, but he still managed to figure her out. Somehow he managed to get her to rout all requests of his location to him before she responded to Mr. Stark. 

It was perfect. 

It made nights like these possible. He was currently working on his synthesized bandages and needed quiet so he could focus. It was almost impossible to work in the lab when people were hovering. He knew he couldn’t patent an unfinished idea, but he wasn’t intrigued by the idea of someone stealing his work.

He looked back at his equations. “Um, Friday? If I combine two permutations of elements can you test them out for me?”

“I can.” 

“Great! Synthesize compounds two and three and tell me what the result would be.” He busied himself with staring at the various equations in front of him. His current product was sticky, but not quite sticky enough. It was too liquified and kept losing its form. He was trying for something that would start as a small glob and spread over almost any wound. It was tricky, but he was close. 

“Peter,” Friday called out. 

“Yeah Friday?” He was currently planning on dropping a new chemical base into his mixture just to test it out while she worked through his request. 

“Peter,” the AI repeated. He rolled his eyes and focused on pouring the liquid solution. Too much would be catastrophic. 

“Why are you in here?” Jumping Peter spilled the liquid into the beaker. Time seemed to slow down.

“Get down!” Just as he was able to duck and cover the contents of the beaker exploded and shot through the lab and all over the workstation. There were sticky globs everywhere. 

The ceiling.

The chairs.

....Mister Stark.

Oh no…..Mr. Stark!

This was it Peter was going to die. 

~\~

Tony wiped his face to get the gooey substance out of his field of vision. When he did he was almost wished that he hadn’t. The entire lab was ruined. The stuff was sticky white and looked like a giant spider had made a web in his multimillion-dollar lab. This kid was going to be the death of him. He was sure of it. Wait, where was the kid? 

“Peter?” Slowly, he saw a white glob start to move before a set of brown curls popped out. 

“H-here,” the timid voice replied. 

“You know, Friday said you were studying.” 

“I um am.”

“Huh, looks like you were using equipment without permission.” He saw the boy gulp. “You know, I’m almost positive your lab access is restricted after 8pm. Isn’t that right Friday?” 

“Yes, Boss. It’s called the School’s Out Protocol.” He saw the kid roll his eyes and flame flickered through his being. 

“Do you think this is a joke?” He saw the kid set his jaw before lowering his head. “Peter!” Tony felt his heart beating rapidly. A mixture of rage and worry were combining to make a volatile combination. “Are you allowed down here with chemicals by yourself?” Peter shook his head but didn’t make any noise. Tony hated how the kid was shrinking into himself again, but it wasn’t rocket science. He wasn’t supposed to be in the labs alone! “How are is it for you to follow the rules? These are dangerous chemicals!”

“I’ve been handling chemicals for years! I don’t need you to tell me what to do!” Anger flashed behind Tony’s eyes. Rather than hide it, he wanted Peter to see it. To fear it. 

“Clean this up then go to your room,” he said as firmly. He watched a stubborn look cross over the kid’s face. 

“I’m not done,” Peter shot back. “Friday’s rendering something for me.”

“Oh you’re done kid, trust me on that.” Again the boy rolled his eyes. “Go to your room, Peter,” he said finally. Shaking his head the boy collected his laptop, notebook, and other materials and started to shuffle out of the room. “And pack a bag while you’re in there.” Tony blew out a breath. He’d only raised his voice, he didn’t hit him or yell at him. That was exactly what the books had said. ‘Give clear expectations and create boundaries’. He’d done good.

What he couldn’t figure out was why all of a sudden Peter looked like he was going to throw up and cry at the same time. “Peter,” he stated gruffly. The boy looked up at him with a red face. He could see the fat tears clear as day behind the kid’s hideous glasses. 

Ugh, it drove him nuts when the kid cried. It was like looking at himself as a child. Tony hated that feeling. 

He wasn’t sure what to say or what to do. He hadn’t even been that hard on him. Luckily though the kid ran out of the room. This is going to take forever to clean up, he thought. 

“Have a cleaning crew here first thing to take care of this. Make sure his notes are secure.”

“Will do, Boss.” Tony turned around and walked back toward the elevator. This having an heir thing was way harder than he thought it would be. The kid for as bright as he was had terrible listening skills. 

He was a space case with selective hearing. Everyone said it. His teachers, Maya, even Rhodey. The kid heard what he wanted to hear...but those eyes. His brown wide eyes that had a way of making Tony feel like he’d strangled puppies every time he yelled at him. 

Sinking down on the couch he runs through the events again in his head. Why did the kid cry? He didn’t yell at him or even punish him. If the kid started crying every time he raised his voice they were going to have a problem. Especially if he kept doing stupid things like this. 

“Hey Fri? What’s Peter doing?”

“He’s packing, Boss.”

“Good, was I too hard on the kid, Fri?” Tony rubbed his eyes again. “Don’t answer that, ok? Get Rhodey on the phone.”

“Tony you better be having some sort of life or death issue, it’s one in the morning,” the Colonel groaned.

“Oh, you love it Platypus.”

“What do you need Tony?”

“The kid. I’ve got problems.” He heard the man sigh, but he knew he had his full attention. “The kid’s not supposed to use the lab after eight, right? Well, I found him in there mixing chemicals not even twenty minutes ago. He made this huge mess and started crying when I made him go to his room.”

“Ok, and?”

“Well like am I scaring him or something?”

“Did you yell at him?” Tony shook his head. “Ugh, I can't see you shake your head stupid." Rhodey snorted at his friend. "This kid has really got you worked up, huh?" 

"Rhodey!"

"Ok, ok," the man said still chuckling. "Um did you do that thing where you look at him like you want him to evaporate?”

“Maybe?”

“Kid’s a lot like you Tones. Probably just wound too tight and tired. He seems rather sensitive. Just talk to him in the morning.”

“So I didn’t like do something horrible to him?” He heard his friend chuckle.

“No, for once I think you had a normal reaction for a parent.”

“I’m not his parent,” Tony reflexed back.

“Yeah well, you sure sound like it to me,” Rhodey yawned. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” The call ended leaving Tony to his own thoughts. He wasn’t sure why Peter reacted like he had. Maybe the kid was still afraid of him.

That made sense, he’d been afraid of Howard. Well afraid wasn’t really the word, it was more like terrified. 

He was thankful for Peter shuffling into the room so he didn’t end up in the rabbit hole of his existence. Turning around he saw the tiny boy with a massive duffel bag over his shoulder looking like he’d spend the last half hour crying. “Kid, what is this giant bag for?”

“I don’t like to leave my stuff behind. I’ll uh need it,” the boy mumbled. Sauntering across the room he moved to get closer to Peter. He was lucky to catch that mumble if he didn’t get closer he might miss everything else the boy had to say. 

“Um I mean I’ve heard of overpacking, but this is insane.” The kid looked like he’d stuff his entire room into the bag.

“I’m don’t sleep well away from home so I need my stuff,” Peter said looking out the window toward the skyline. Tony tried not to focus on the boy calling the Tower home, but he’d be lying if he didn’t say he got warm and fuzzies. 

“Well you can take whatever you want to but it’s only three days, kid. It’ll be hell to put all that crap back I’m sure.” Peter’s head snapped toward Tony. 

“T-three days?”

“Yeah, I have business out of town this weekend. Don’t you remember?” When he saw the realization cross over the boy his heart broke.

Oh.

He’d been so terrible. 

“So, um go put whatever you don’t need for three days back in your room.” Peter stared at him like he was waiting for a trick.

“So I’m not going to Maine?” There was a sharp pain in his chest. Well, this hurt. He cleared his throat.

“No, kid.” You’re not Howard he told himself. “I’m sorry I threatened you like that. It was wrong of me.” Peter didn’t say anything in response. When it looked like the kid didn’t believe him, Tony figured he’d give the kid another thing his dad never did for him...honesty. “I want you to be my heir so I need you here with me so that I can teach you.”

“W-what about that um those threats?” Tony smirked at the kid.

“People have been threatening me my whole life. I’m not going to change how I live because of them.”

“B-but I messed up. You said if I messed up again you’d send me away.” Tony winced.

“I was wrong Peter. I don’t want you to go anywhere, I want you right here where I can keep an eye on you,” he said earnestly. 

“So I don’t have to go? Ever?” 

“No.” Peter exhaled from deep within him. The tension sagged out of his body. Tony shook his head, he for some reason thought that was the kid’s normal posture. God, the kid seemed to have shrunk even.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” he gasped out. 

“But, we will have to discuss you blowing up my lab.” 

~\~

Half an hour later they were zooming down the practically empty highway. Since his admission, Peter hadn’t said much of anything. He’d taken to chewing his nails and humming nonsense in the passenger seat. 

“You hungry? I know a greasy hole in the wall that got great burgers.” The boy shook his head. 

“Dinner was fine.”

“I know that,” he said dramatically. “You’re skin and bones, I’m asking if you want to eat now.”

“No thank you,” Peter said softly.

“Suit yourself kid. The whole point of road trips is to eat crap food.” As a response, he saw Peter curl his legs to his chest. “Since you don’t want food, let's talk about something else. What was up with you in the lab? Having twenty scheduled hours in there a week not enough for you?” He saw the boy sink deeper into the seat. “Well?”

“It calms me down,” Peter mumbled. 

“From what? I mean what could possibly get you so wound up?” 

“I don’t sleep great after…” Tony glanced at Peter. The boy looked so small in the seat. A weird sense came over him. It was hard to put into words, but looking at that little boy curled up in the seat Tony’s gut clenched in a way it never had before. He saw the boy wipe his eyes. 

“Hey, it’s ok,” he said gently. 

“I’m sorry for crying. It’s so stupid.” 

“It’s ok, kid.” Peter shook his head. “What you went through was terrible. No one expects you to be over that right away or ever.”

“I was so scared.” He heard the kid sniff. “I can’t get it out of my head.” A silence settled over the car, the air was laced with heavy emotion. Silently Tony pulled off onto a shoulder letting the car settle to a stop. He turned towards the boy who was shaking silently as he cried. Tentatively he reached out and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Peter flinched at first but settled.

A sense of anger settled into Tony’s bones as he watched Peter cry. This was a kid. A small kid, how could anyone put him through something like that? He resigned in his mind that he would never let anyone hurt Peter like that again. 

He would destroy anyone who tried.

After what felt like forever, Peter finally settled down. He wiped his eyes and sniffed before curling into himself again.

“S-sorry, I know I’m not supposed to cry,” he said quietly. 

“Don’t apologize for that.” Tony huffed and turned in his seat. “When I said you shouldn’t cry I meant over little stuff, like stubbing your toe or dropping a glass. This is a big deal kid. Cry all you want.” 

“You didn’t let me cry when you took me from Aunt May.” 

“I was wrong.” Tony let out a heavy breath. “When I was a little younger than you, I was kidnapped," he said before clearing his throat. "The police found me pretty quickly, but I um wasn’t allowed to cry at all and it messed me up. For a really long time.” Tony closed his eyes as soon as he felt Peter staring at him. “If you need or want to cry Peter, just do it, ok?” 

“Your dad was mean, huh?”

“Very. He was a lot of things. Great businessman. A real futurist. Could outbuild anyone completely drunk and yet he failed at being a father. I was a success, but a wreck.” He turned to Peter. “I don’t want you to be like that.” He cleared his throat. “You’re going to be better than me so I have to be better than him. Simple logic, right?” 

“Yeah, Mr. Stark.”

“I’d love it if you just called me Tony, but since you’re like a pure boy scout I’m guessing it won’t happen.” To that, he merely got a shrug. As he looked down at Peter he saw the boy’s eyes looked sunken. He wasn’t sure how he hadn't noticed it before, but the kid looked purely exhausted. How long had this been going on? “Level with me kid, when’s the last time you slept? Like really slept.” He sighed when Peter fidgeted in his seat but didn’t reply. “How about this? How many hours are you sleeping a night? Come on kid, I just want to help. I won’t yell at you or anything. I promise.”

“Maybe three?” 

“You must be wrecked, kid. Trust me, I know.” Tony turned the car back on and clicked his seatbelt into place. Peter followed suit. 

“I guess I am a little tired.”

"Yet you were in the lab.”

“Working on solutions calms me down. After a couple of hours in the lab, I can usually sleep. If even only for a little bit.” 

God, that sounded familiar. 

Tony tried to think of what to say. How could he help Peter? What would Howard have done? No...no! Definitely not the right idea. Who would be good? Obie? No. Who else was there. Of course...Jarvis! 

_Just tell me what you’re feeling Master Anthony. The world won’t end because you express your emotions._

That was it. 

That was a path he could follow.

Edwin Jarvis still the best man Tony Stark ever knew. 

Clearing his throat Tony turned toward Peter once again. “You know I have nightmares too? Aliens, space, caves in Afghanistan. But, when nightmares come for me or when I feel like I’m down I tinker.” Peter’s big doe eyes were trained on him. “How about you come and join me?” 

“What if you’re asleep?”

“Have you met me?” That got a smile out of the boy. “So that’s it. If you can’t sleep you come find me and we’ll work in the lab. Yeah? I can even help you figure out that blob thing you’ve been messing with.” Peter didn’t say anything. “Well?”

“I just have one question.”

“Yeah Pete?”

“Think you can keep up?” Tony couldn’t help it a smug smile escaped his lips. Rhodey was right, this kid was way too much like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twists and turns are coming your way!! Stay tuned!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo sorry for the delay...between my schedule and trying to decide how I want to break this up it's been a while. Sorry this one is so short, but it's an interlude to the next fun part of this story. 
> 
> See you soon!

After a fairly successful weekend of breakthroughs, Tony felt confident that his relationship with Peter wasn’t going to be a total failure. They’d had several runs of synthesizing the bandages that Peter was working on, but Tony had to admit the problem was more up Bruce Banner’s lane than his own. Needless to say, they weren’t any closer to solving the issue than when they started. 

But what surprised Tony more than anything was the kid's willingness to open up to him. He showed Tony many of the side projects he'd been working on. Tony's favorite though, was the semi-operational BB8 model the boy was constructing. His plan was to build it completely out of Legos and yet program it to run like the real thing. Considering the kid preferred chemistry, Tony was thoroughly impressed with the progress he'd made in just a few short months. If he wasn't convinced before, Tony knew it for sure now...one day Peter Parker would outshine them all.

Walking into the kitchen Tony rubbed his eyes as he went in search of coffee. He had sent Peter to bed around eleven and continued to work well into the night. After only a few short hours of sleep, he was in dire need of the caffeine-rich substance. The odd thing was he couldn't smell it. Friday was supposed to have it ready. She always had it ready by now. His feet padded toward the device and found the pot removed. Turning around he couldn’t find it anywhere. 

“Friday? Where’s the coffee?” Just as he was waiting for the AI’s response Peter walked into the room looking down at his phone with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Tony watched the boy move wordlessly through the kitchen, grab the milk, and poured himself a bowl of cereal before sitting down and continuing to read. “What you got there?” The boy practically jumped out of his skin. 

“Uh g-good morning, Mr. Stark.” Tony rolled his eyes. He could see the guilt resting on the kid’s eyes. It was so deep that even his glasses couldn’t obscure the obvious. 

“You know, a curious thing happened. Every morning Friday makes my coffee. It happens no matter where I am if Friday’s in the building then I get coffee.”

“Is that um so? I guess it must be a malfunction,” the boy said shakily. Tony hummed in response. It was clear that this was making Peter uncomfortable, but Tony was feeling the telltale signs of caffeine withdrawal and he wasn’t liking it. 

“Yeah. Look, Pete, if you drank it just make a new batch ok? Not a big deal, but I don’t like not having it when I want it.” He saw Peter shrinking in on himself as he stared at his bowl. Not wanting to ruin the progress they made he chose to back off. “Where’s the pot, Peter?” The boy mumbled a response that Tony didn’t hear. “What?”

“I threw it out,” he said not looking up. Tony felt a growl emerge from his throat.

“I’m sorry, what?” Tony sucked in a tight breath. “You better not have,” he said rummaging through the myriad of cabinets. After realizing that the pot wasn’t in any of the cabinets, Tony slammed the last one closed and turned on Peter. “Why would you do that?” Again the boy mumbled into his bowl. “Kid, I swear,” Tony pushed out. 

“You have a bad heart,” Peter said softly. 

“What?”

“I heard you and Mr. Rhodes talking on the phone. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop,” he added quickly. “He said you have to watch out because your heart got damaged in your fight.” Tony was trying to school his annoyance. 

“So?” Peter looked up at Tony for the first time in a few minutes. There was a firmness in his eyes, but Tony could see fear too.

“Coffee isn’t good for a bad heart.” All Tony could do for a moment was blink. Something as simple as that statement had a profound meaning. As terrible as he’d been to Peter, the kid still cared about him. His body suddenly felt very heavy and he slumped into a chair next to the boy. “Are you ok?” 

“Yeah bud, I’m fine.” Peter didn’t seem convinced and kept his eyes trained on Tony. Emotions swirled in his gut. Things were changing far too much. Rubbing his eyes again he let out a deep breath before clearing his throat. “Why don’t you get me a bowl and pour me some cereal?” Peter moved to do what he was asked quickly and set the bowl in front of Tony. “This stuff is terrible. There’s like no sugar in this,” Tony said making a face. “I mean your aunt’s walnut date loaf is better than this and that’s saying something.” He was expecting to get a snicker from the kid, but all he got was an open-mouthed stare. “What?” 

“You um never eat with me.” Tony shrugged. 

“Not a big deal kid. Sometimes things change.”

“I thought only families eat together.” Tony shrugged and went back to eating. After a few minutes of silence, Peter cleared his throat. “Is this a test?” 

“No, Peter it’s not a test.” Tony sighed and leaned towards the boy. “I think it would be nice if we ate together sometimes. It will help us bond, yeah? You can throw ideas at me and we can work through them.” He was silently hoping that Peter didn’t press because without his coffee he wasn’t sure that he would be able to make it for another round of twenty questions. “Just um finish your breakfast and I’ll take you to school, ok?” 

They went back to eating in companionable silence letting the spoons clink against the bowls. The withdrawal was really starting to take effect and Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly. “If you sleep more it will help you in the long run. Caffeine is only a temporary fix. Rest and a healthy diet are really what will help you the most,” Peter spouted off. 

“Is that so?” Peter nodded. “And when did you become an expert?” 

“Last night,” the boy said shyly. Tony noticed the kid had small bags under his eyes and his hair was a bit unkempt. Either he had a nightmare again or he’d been researching all night. A pang of guilt crept inside of his chest. He was a lost cause. The kid didn’t need to worry about him. 

“I know you’re a good kid Pete, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve been managing for most of my life. I’ll be ok.” He knew the words were crap when he said it, but it still needed to be said. 

“People are supposed to take care of each other. That’s the only way we’ll make the world a better place.” Suddenly feeling shy the boy hunched over the bowl. “That’s what Uncle Ben always said anyway,” he said quietly.

“Really? He said that?” Peter nodded. 

“He said that families are supposed to do it even more.” Then it clicked for Tony. 

The kid was essentially inviting him into his life...his family.

After everything Tony had put the boy through he never would have imagined that it would have landed them here. Instead of doing what everything in him was screaming, he decided to simply reciprocate.

“How about this? On the nights you’re here with me, we’ll eat dinner together. Would you like that?” The look that crossed the boy’s face said it all. The kid was elated. 

“Yeah, it’d be like we were a real family.” Tony gave the boy a soft smile.

“Yeah kid, exactly like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, Petey comes into his own.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's another for your reading pleasure! I'm behind on comments, but I'm reading them. I'll catch up on replies as soon as I can!

One Year Later…

_“We’re here with Parker Stark the heir to Stark Industries fortune via the Better Futures Program. Today he’s going to tell the world more about himself and show us some fun stuff while we’re at it,” the reporter says walking down the hallway. “And here is the boy of the hour or shall we say teen?”_

_Smiling Peter welcomes them with a firm handshake for everyone and a wave to the camera. “Welcome!”_

__

_“Hi Parker, can you tell us what you’re going to show us today? I must say you look very adorable in your outfit.” Peter looked down at his high top sneakers, a pair of jeans with a white and blue button up and the tie like he always wore during his interviews before smiling brightly at the camera ey again._

__

__

_“Thank you. Well, I guess we can go see my lab. I don’t think you’ll be interested in seeing my room full of dirty clothes or Legos,” he said shyly. The reporter followed him down the hall and used his handprint to open the lab. “We’re all about security here. You know with all of the advancements we make here,” he said laughing._

__

__

_“Advancements, huh? Like your robodog over there? The interview you and Mr. Stark did last month spoke of this infamous dog. Can we see him?”_

__

__

_“Yes! Sparky is going to change the landscape for electronic pets. My plan is for him to help kids who have severe pet allergies. Want to see him work?”_

__

__

_“Of course!”_

_“Sparky! Fetch!” The robodog sputtered and took off at a bound. He quickly picked up the ball and brought it to Peter. “Goodboy!” The dog howled with pleasure before running back to its place near the other hoard of small robots._

_“That’s very impressive Parker. Did you make that by yourself?” A shy smile crossed his face._

_“I did actually. Last year Mr. Stark had me working on robotics for a while and um this was my big project.”_

__

_“This is very impressive Parker.”_

__

__

_“Thank you. I worked very hard on it.”_

__

__

_“It shows. Mr. Stark’s lab doesn’t look like this one. When we did a similar interview with him last year he showed us one of his many labs and I must say Peter it didn’t carry the joyfulness that I see here.”_

__

__

_“Well Mr. Stark’s labs are for work and his own purposes so they reflect his personality. My lab reflects what I like. You see here, Mr. Stark likes holotables to give him full specs in 3D. I prefer my tables to have a writing feature so I can test formulas. We configured Friday to render my formulas and equations. We spent an entire Saturday reworking some of his tables to give me the features I like so I could use them in here.”_

__

__

_The interview passed quickly with Peter showing her various parts of his lab that excited him the most. Eventually, they ended up sitting on the couch that was set up on the side of the lab._

__

__

_“So tell me, Parker, the rumor is that for the longest time you didn’t want to be the heir to the Stark throne. What changed?”_

__

__

_“Well,” he said, glancing at Mr. Stark off-screen, “I realized that even though my life got turned upside down I have a tremendous opportunity. Stark Industries has the ability to influence the world in a big way. Soon, I’ll get to help in more ways than I ever dreamed of.”_

__

__

_“So you were afraid of what would come from being Tony Stark’s heir? I mean those are big shoes to fill.”_

__

__

_“Oh definitely. I’ve always been a fan of Mr. Stark and his work as Iron Man, but I never thought he would choose someone like me to train. I mean, that’s a dream but how often do our dreams come reality?”_

__

__

_“So were you excited about it? Becoming his official heir. I know things must have changed rather quickly for you.”_

__

__

_“You’re right, things did change very quickly. The hardest part for me it was just brand new. I moved from my home and into this new place. It was very overwhelming at first. I guess you can say that I was afraid of change.”_

__

__

_“Why is that?”_

__

__

_“Well, I lost my parents when I was young and my uncle not too long ago. Change hasn’t been good to me. So when this came along I thought it was just another thing that was going to cause me pain.”_

__

__

_“That makes perfect sense. Was there an adjustment period?”_

__

__

_“Of course, but Mr. Stark helped a lot with that. He’s probably the best teacher I could have for in this situation. I feel so much more prepared than I did when we first started. I mean it’s amazing. I’ve got to go to places all over the world and talk to people I probably never would have communicated with. Plus some of the equipment I have access to isn’t available anywhere else in the world. To be chosen for this is a big honor. I’m sure almost every kid out there would trade places with me in a second. So I’m very grateful.”_

__

__

_“I have to ask Parker, do you have a chance to be a kid? Let’s be honest you’ve been on countless talk shows, magazines, and videos in the last few months. We’ve seen the lab, and the videos on SI social media, but those could be staged. We want to hear from you. Are you really happy?”_

__

__

_“Well, at first it was very much like CEO Bootcamp. I didn’t get to see my friends much, but now Mr. Stark and Maya she’s my main tutor have found a balance so I can still have fun. My Aunt May helps out a lot too. We do a bunch of fun stuff together, like going to the movies or to see the Mets play, but I do have to do work. So um, I do a combination of language study, focused time in R &D, as well as focused study in science, math, and engineering.”_

__

__

_“Wow, that’s a lot. Do you have time to play sports or anything?”_

__

__

_“I’m terrible at sports. Like really bad, but I um still get to hang out with my friends and take part in extracurriculars so that’s nice.” Peter got a sly grin on his face. “What I like most though is the movie nights with Mr. Stark. Sometimes he falls asleep and…”_

__

__

_“That’s enough! The interview is over. The kid needs to get back to his assessments,” Tony said quickly entering the frame._

__

__

_“I didn’t get to show them the pictures,” Peter whined mischievously._

__

__

_“Kid, I will sell your every chemistry book in this Tower,” he threatened. Peter jumped up. “Oh better yet, let’s show them the picture of you passed out in the lab last week.” Scrambling forward Peter reached desperately for the phone._

__

__

_“Uncle Tony, no!” Tony smiled happily as he kept the boy at arm’s length. “You can’t show that!”_

__

__

_“I think we can end this right here,” the reporter said directly into the camera with a big smile on her face. "I think we can all see why Tony Stark chose Parker." The interview closed with Tony's laughing hysterically as Peter tried to climb up his arm._

~\~

Peter sat eating his egg quiche and scrolled through his Tumblr feed. It was clear that his classmates had seen the interview and were roasting him as a result. He kicked the table under him. This morning was sucking. He was hoping to have some time to work in the lab, but it didn’t look like he was going to get that chance. The chef had been delayed in making his breakfast and now he had substantially less time than usual to prepare. 

“Hey Sport,” his Uncle Tony said walking into the room. Not looking up from his food he continued to stare at his phone. 

“Hi.”

“Jeez, what’s got you so engrossed?” Peter shrugged. He heard the man pull up a chair and plop down next to him. “This quiche is gross. Why don’t you eat pancakes like a normal person?”

“Ms. Pepper says I need to expand my palate. She said she’d let me skip a board meeting if I tried three new foods this week.” He heard his uncle snort. 

“Good call kid. Those things are the worst.”

“I know! Last time Rivers wouldn’t shut up and it drug on for like three hours. I don’t know how Ms. Pepper does it all the time.” 

“Tell me about it.” Peter glanced down at the magazine covers on the table. “Did you read this like Pepper asked?” 

“Some of it.”

“Come on kid, she can’t discuss PR with you if you don’t do the work. You know that” his uncle admonished.

“I know,” Peter spit out. “It’s just like these names. ‘The Prodigy’s Prodigy’ or The ‘Iron Legacy’? It’s so much pressure. Like I have all these expectations and I’m not even going to take over for another ten years at least.” Peter didn’t miss how his uncle stilled in his chair. 

“Hey, you don’t have to worry about any of that. Just be Peter,” Tony said pointedly.

“I’m not even that to them. It’s Parker, remember? I just don’t know how I’m supposed to be who they want me to be,” Peter huffed out.

“None of that. You be you. That’s it. That's the deal, remember?”

Peter scoffed sarcastically. “Sure, 'cause it's just that easy.” 

Tony leaned forward to get in his line of sight. “Peter, you’re still you. Remember we did that so you could differentiate between when you need to be showroom ready and when you can be yourself. Do you want to have everyone call you Peter? We can do that.”

Peter sighed. The distinction did help usually, but he just felt so overwhelmed. “Well, I like it, but it’s a lot. Don’t you get that?” Peter yelped when Tony pulled his chair close to him. He felt his uncle’s arm snake around him and pull him close to his chest. 

“What is Peter like?” 

“Uncle Tony,” he whined. 

“Come on, What is Peter like?”

“He’s quiet.”

“What else?”

“He likes science.”

“Who’s his best friend?”

“Ned.” Tony turned the chair around so that Peter was looking at him. He saw the man’s hair that peppered gray and those brown eyes that most people never got to see up close. Even in his kitchen, the man exuded a confidence that Peter felt he would never have. When Peter compared himself to Tony Stark a pit always grew in his stomach. 

He definitely wasn’t no Tony Stark.

“Remember, what you do isn’t who you are.” Feeling tears rise to his eyes Peter nodded. “Amor di zio amore senza limiti.” (An uncle's love has no limits). Tony pulled Peter into his arms and gently rubbed his back. After a few minutes, Peter heard his uncle whistling making him sit up. He wiped his eyes and went back to his quiche. “Finish that and I’ll drop you off.”

“Can I stay home?” 

“Why?”

“That story ran last night. I'm going to get reamed all day long. I can learn everything I need to know here.”

“You have to go. Big brains need nourishment.” Peter rolled his eyes. "Besides, those kids should be used to your press by now." 

“Well they're not. Come on, please? I’m getting nourishment. Why can’t I just stay here in the lab with you?” Tony snorted.

“You know that your aunt would try to castrate me. Something about me being a bad influence.”

“Fine,” he said polishing off his quiche. He knew that today would suck. 

~\~

“Dude! Your lab looked so cool on tv last night,” Ned spouted out as soon as he saw Peter. It was exactly like he envisioned it. As soon as Tony had dropped him off kids were whispering, pointing, and trying to shake his hand. It was the part of life that he hated the most. He wanted to be homeschooled, but May and Tony agreed that it would be better for him to practice his ‘public persona’ when in a controlled environment. 

“You’ve seen it in person, Ned.”

“Yeah, but like you’re on TV dude.” Turning his head he saw a group of girls pointing and turning toward them. “Hayden, just looked at us!” He turned his head. “This is the best day of my life. Like the best day. Peter, we could get invited to her party.” Rolling his eyes, Peter switched out his books in readying himself to get to his first class. “Dude you’re like Iron Man Jr. How crazy is that?”

“Ned, can we talk about anything else?” Clearly, the words fell on deaf ears because all Peter heard for the next ten minutes was Ned speculating who’s party they could get invited to.

The whole day passed pretty much like the morning. As he settled down in the library for Decathlon practice Peter felt like his head was going to explode. Looking up he saw kids clambering outside the library doors to get a glimpse of him.

“Parker, you’re out of this competition,” Mr. Torres said suddenly. The words didn’t make sense to him.

“Why? I haven’t missed a practice or study session.” 

“The competition doesn't have enough security and they’re concerned about everyone’s safety. It’s nothing personal Parker. We just have to work out how we’ll handle these things moving forward. For now, we’ll just have Flash move to first chair and you’ll be his backup.” The smug look on Flash’s face made Peter want to vomit. 

“Don’t worry Parker, I’ll make sure we don’t have any distractions,” Flash said as he practically shoved Peter out of his chair. “Now you’ll be free to hang out with Uncle Tony.” Moving to the other side of the room, Peter felt sick watching everyone practice while he just watched. 

Once practice was over, he pulled himself off the chair he was sitting on and grabbed his bag. “You’re invited to our study session tonight. We want you there,” someone said. Peter didn’t bother to look up before he rushed into the hallway. He had to get out of there. 

“Hey, Peter!” Turning around he saw Michelle walking towards him. “That was dickish. We want you on the team. Just stick it out,” she said before walking away. Before he could turn to look for Happy Ned materialized next to him. 

“I’m still coming over tonight, right?” Peter shrugged. “Why don’t we just head to the study session together and then we can go to your place afterward?” Peter shook his head.

“I’ve got to go?” Peter saw the black car appear out of the corner of his eye. All he wanted was to go home.

~\~

Tony’s eyes slid open as he sees the figure standing shakily in the doorway. Rubbing his eyes he pulled himself up in the bed. 

“Hey, bud.”

“Uncle Tony?” Sitting up fully he saw the boy shuffle toward him. 

“Are you ok?” It was a stupid question as soon as Tony asked. Even in the dim light, he could see the sweat that made the boy’s hair mat down and he was shaking. “Nightmare?” Peter nodded. 

“Can I um…” Tony’s heart broke for the kid. He knew it was embarrassing enough to have nightmares, but ones that shook you to make you cry? Those were brutal. 

“Sure bud, hop in,” he said sliding back so Peter could climb in next to him. He felt Peter still shaking as he slid into the bed. Tony wasted no time pulling the boy close to his chest. Even after a year and a half the boy still struggled with nightmares about his kidnapping. 

He felt Peter slowly calm down. “Thank you.” With the boy leaning against his shoulder Tony started to run his fingers through Peter's hair. After months of persistent nightmares, he’d learned valuable methods of calming Peter down. 

“Was it like always?”

“No, just a bad feeling. Like something was going to happen and I couldn’t stop it.” That alarmed Tony.

“Hey, you know that I’m going to protect you. We’ve got the forehead of security all over it and I won’t let them get to you.”

“I know, but what if you can’t do anything? What if they’re as smart as you?” Tony released his hold so Peter could turn toward him. The boy’s eyes were shining with fear and tears. It made him look younger than his thirteen years. Tony felt his heart clench at the sight. 

“You wound me, kid. No one is as smart as me,” he bopped the kid on the nose. “Except maybe you.”

“Uncle Tonnnny,” Peter whined. “Be serious.”

“I am, kid. They won’t get to you. I’ve done everything I can to make sure you’re safe. That won’t happen again, I promise.” He really had. There were people watching the kid 24/7. He even employed a whole group of people whose sole job it was to monitor threats made against Peter. He really was going to die before he let something happen to Peter again. 

“We don’t break promises,” Peter said. 

“You’re exactly right, bud.” Tony tightened his hold on Peter as he laid back in the bed. Peter’s cheek nestled against Tony’s tank top. “Now get some rest, ok? You’ve got school in the morning.” He felt Peter sigh, but relax into his hold. 

“Can you tell me about your mom?” Tony looked down at the boy in his arms. 

“Why do you want to hear about her?”

“I don’t remember mine,” he felt Peter clear the emotion out of his throat. “When I get scared, May tells me about my mom. It helps. Since you didn’t know her, I thought it’d be nice to hear about yours. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Tony was speechless. It was nights like these when he remembered that Peter was just a kid. A baby really. He pushed Peter's hair out of his face. This kid was turning him into mush. 

“Well, her name was Maria and she taught me everything I know about the piano and fine cuisine…” he said. “She wasn’t a woman who cooked a lot, but boy could she design a room. You can thank her for my sense of style.” Tony smiled at the thought. “I to this day have never met a better-dressed woman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now...the plot jumps off! See you next time when all hell breaks loose..or maybe not.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another fun entry!

Peter sat in his room staring at the holoscreen as he clicked numbers on the screen. He was working on a new formula for the final stages of his of his adhesive bandages. “I can’t get over how cool your room is,” Ned gushed behind him.

Turning around to glance at Ned, Peter rolled his eyes. “Dude, you’ve been over before.”

“But like this is awesome. You have to know that, right?” Peter shrugged before turning back to his equations. “So is Mr. Stark going to be here today?”

“Maybe? I think he has a um date or something.”

“With Pepper Potts? Is she going to be here?” 

“Ned. Relax, I’m pretty sure it’s just us and Friday. Maya will probably stop by later,” he pushed out. He was kind of annoyed that both May and Tony thought they needed a babysitter. 

“Maya’s coming? That’s sick! She’s so cool.” Peter went back to looking at his screens while Ned busied himself playing on the Nintendo Switch. 

They spent the next hour toying around before finally deciding to go off in search of food. They chose to eat a frozen pizza that he popped in the oven before pulling out two pints of ice cream and grabbing spoons.

“So have they figured out if you can still be on the team?” 

“No, Uncle Tony had Ms. Pepper work on it, but they’re still trying to decide how much security is too much security.” 

“Is it really that serious?”

“Apparently some schools think me being there is a security threat,” he said licking his pineapple ice cream.

“So we’re stuck with Flash? That sucks. That’s your spot.”

“I know. There’s supposed to be this big meeting or something so everyone can decide. I just want to be apart of the team.” 

“You’re still part of the team, I mean you got an invite to the regional party, right?” Peter furrowed his eyebrows.

“Regional party?” 

“Yeah, um some kid from Marble Hills. Their school is in the regionals too, so they wanted to throw this party or something. You know like a nerd fest.” Peter scrolled through his phone. He definitely didn’t get any texts. 

“I wasn’t invited,” he said glumly.

“It’s probably a glitch or something.” 

“Right. Somehow they forgot to invite me the same week I get suspended from the team.” 

“Don’t overreact Peter. You can still come.” 

“I don’t know.”

“Think about it, girls from other schools who don’t know the full extent of our nerdness. We’d have a shot.”

“I’m pretty sure my nerdness is known all over.” Ned snorted. 

“Just come. It’ll be fun.” Peter sighed. 

“When is it?” Ned flicked up his screen and stared.

“Tonight. I’ve got the address it’s not too far away.” Peter sighed. 

“Hey Friday, call Uncle Tony, please.”

“Still can’t believe you call him that.” Peter shot his friend a glare. 

“Hey, sport! What’s up?” From the looks of it, Tony was sitting in a fancy restaurant. “Are you and Ted behaving yourselves?” Ned poked his head in the shot and nodded rapidly.

“Sorry to bother you, um can I go to this party?” He watched his uncle’s eyebrows furrow. 

“What kind of party?”

“Not one of those fancy things you like. Uh, the decathlon teams from the area are gonna get together. You know, nerd stuff.”

“Where’s the party at?”

“This kid's house. Ned’s coming so is like my whole team.” 

“Did you ask May?” Peter shrugged. “Ask her and if she says yes then I’ll go with it.” 

“She’s working the late shift tonight,” Tony grunted. Peter knew he preferred if May made these kinds of decisions, but he was hoping that Tony’s uncertainty would work in his favor.

“Peter?” The camera swung to show Pepper Potts in a sleek dress with her hair pulled back. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” he said kicking Ned under the table who was on the verge of screaming in shock. 

Pepper smiled at him before speaking. “So we’re still working out this security risk. Do you know whose party this is?” Peter glanced at Ned.

“It’s um Graham Callahan’s. He goes to school in Marble Hills,” Ned supplied. Pepper nodded and scrolled through her phone.

“They’re not coming up on any watchlists or affiliate associations. It seems clear. What do you think Tony?”

“I think I love watching you work,” his uncle said with a wry smile on his face. 

“Tony! Children!”

“Oh uh yeah.” The man clicked his teeth. “Peter, you’re sure about this? You don’t have to go.”

“I know that, but I want to have some fun.” After a few agonizing moments of silence, Tony spoke. 

“Ok, you can go, but Happy has to drive you.” Peter nodded eagerly. “No running off ok? You wait for Happy right in plain sight.”

“I got it. Run into a dark alley and see if you find me,” Peter said playfully.

“Peter.”

“I’m just kidding. I’ll wait right out front with him and I won’t talk to strangers. I promise.”

“Good, I’ll text him now and ask him to drop you boys off. Ned do you need a ride home?”

“No my mom will come and get me.”

“Ok, text me when you get there and when you get home, ok?” Peter rolled his eyes. “Love you bud.”  
“Love you too. Night Ms. Pepper,” Peter said trying to rub the red in his ears away. The call disconnected and Peter dropped his head on the counter. 

“Uncle Tony? More like your dad.”

“Shutup Ned!”

~\~

A couple of hours later Peter and Ned found themselves standing in the middle of a heated discussion. MJ had started it with an offhand comment, but things had quickly turned directly to him. And boy were ALL eyes on him. “You mean that you don’t have any contact with any other kids in the program?” Sheila’s blue eyes were piercing him. She was from some school uptown, but apparently, she didn't care that this wasn't the time nor the place to have this kind of discussion.

“I don’t have much interaction outside the Tower unless I’m at school. I mean, why would I meet other kids in the program? It’s not like we get together and share tips or anything.” The girl shook her head in disdain causing her blonde hair to flop dramatically with the motion.

“You’re just like Tony Stark. You only worry about yourself. There are kids who are suffering ok? Suffering, being beaten, starved and for what? A ‘Better Future’? They’re feeding the world lies and the people who can stop it don’t even care. Better Futures is a lie.”

Peter was trying to calm his nerves, especially since most of the kids were starting to stare at the spectacle. “Can we just talk about something else? This isn’t really the time or place.” 

“No, this is important, unlike all those interviews you go to. There are kids starving and sometimes worse,” she pressed. “You go on all these shows talking about how great this program is and how you gained another family but you don’t realize the pain it’s causing.” Peter glanced around hoping someone would stop her, but no one dared to say a word. “You’re a coward, Parker.”

“And what are you,” he shot back. “You’re in my face screaming at me when I can’t do anything. What are you doing?” 

“I don’t have the platform you do, but at least I’m informed.” A tablet was shoved in his hand. “You see her? That’s Sasha, she only gets meals when she gets math equations right. You’re sitting up there in that tower while the world suffers. What kind of leader is that?”

“I’m not a leader.” 

“That’s not what the press is saying.” 

“How do you know this is accurate? How do you know any of this is true?” The girl shook her head. The look in her eyes was one of pity. 

“Look at her, does it look like she’s eating enough food? You don’t get sunken eyes from being overnourished.” 

“I didn’t know about this,” he whispered. How could he? He was so buried in his own work and just growing up, he never really thought about how other kids were being treated.

“Well, if you weren’t so busy being on the Today show and magazine covers you could see what’s going on your own neighborhood.”

“I can’t fix everything. I’m just a kid.”

“Face it, all thy influence you talk about means nothing if you don’t use it,” she said before grabbing her tablet and storming off. The group just stared at him while Peter gaped like a fish. 

This was definitely not the party experience he’d had in mind. 

~\~

Tony rubbed his eyes as the elevator climbed up the Tower. His head was throbbing. He had been so close to getting Pepper back. If he hadn’t said something stupid then maybe he would have. The doors to the elevator opened and he sauntered out of the box and into the hallway. 

As badly as he wanted to throw several glasses of a sharp liquid he knew Peter always reacted negatively to it. The kid was perceptive beyond measure. Sighing Tony tried to roll to the knots out of his neck. 

Walking down the hallway he heard the telltale signs of Peter working on something. There was a steady thump of a beat of music as well as sounds of dry erase marking screeching. “What time is it Fri?” 

“It’s 1:08 am, Boss.” Sighing Tony knocked on the door. Moments later the door popped open. Peter was still wearing jeans and his long-sleeved shirt. Tony figured he hadn’t changed out of the clothes he wore to the party which meant the kid was definitely not getting ready for bed. 

“Hey, Uncle Tony. Am I too loud?”

“No, you’re up too late. You know the rules bud.” He saw Peter roll his eyes. “Come on, it’s time to shut it down.” 

“I can’t. Not right now anyway.” Tony looked around the room before his eyes settled on the board. Those weren’t the usual equations; these were names. 

“What’s this Pete?” 

“Names of kids.”

“Ok.” he said trying not to get frustrated. “Why are you writing names of kids?” He saw Peter bite his lip. 

“They’re in the Better Futures program. They um don’t have it so good.” That got Tony’s attention. “There’s this website where kids who are struggling can come together to talk about their issues. Some of them have it really bad.” Tony walked toward the scribbled writing and read off some of the details.

Sasha 15 years old; math genius; given meals only when equations show progress.

Carrington 11 years old; outstanding athletic ability; trains 15 hour days deprived of interaction that doesn’t pertain to sports.

Tony’s eyes poured over the board. Each name represented a person; a child and there were dozens of them. He was so mesmerized he didn’t notice Peter come up next to him. 

“They’re like me,” he said quietly. Tony felt his heart clench. He knew he’d been terrible to Peter at first, but now things were different. 

They were supposed to be different. 

He was trying so hard to make it different." 

“Pete,” he started.

“No! I don’t mean like that. You’re great! Really. I just mean that it could have been me. If someone else had found me I could be any one of these kids. They could be me,” Peter said looking up at Tony. Feeling weak in the knees he collapsed onto the bottom bunk that was next to him. He felt Peter grab his hand. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, bud I’m ok. Just been a long day.” They sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Peter wrapped his arms around Tony’s middle before burying his neck in the man’s side. Tony loved this kid so much. His heart was so pure and he was just so perfect. 

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Peter said quietly. 

“It’s not your fault, bud. I was just overwhelmed. It’s been a long day.” Tony gently ran his hands through Peter’s hair. “You know I hate how I treated you when you first came here, right?” 

“I know. Mr. Rhodes says that what who Howard wanted you to be.” Tony let a smile crack his face. Good ole Rhodey. "May said when I decided to call you Uncle Tony that I couldn't hold what you did to me over you anymore. She said that when I gave you that title, you became family and families don't hold things over each other's heads." 

Tony wished he had just one ounce the wisdom May Parker had. 

Just one drop. 

“Uncle Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“I want to take a bigger role.” Tony looked down at the boy. His features were sharpening and he was losing his baby face. The kid was really starting to grow up. “I know I just wanted to do what was necessary, but I have to start making a real impact,” Peter said earnestly. Tony had to stop himself from being consumed by the sheer amount of pride that he felt. This kid was so pure. “I can’t have all this power or influence and not use it to help people around me. When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you." Peter ran his hands nervously down his jeans. "I can't let that be on me. I can't. So is it ok if I help out more?” 

“Peter, it’s more than ok.” 

“Really? I was thinking I could do some interviews or maybe we would go visit some other places where there are kids who are in the program. You know to shed light on the good and the bad.”

“Slow down kid. Let’s loop Pep and the PR team and we’ll go from there, ok?” Peter smiled and nodded. “Good, you can go to bed now.” 

“Uncle Tonnnny,” the boy whined. “You’re such a buzzkill.” Tony stood up before he opened his arm. 

“Come here, bud.” Peter slid into Tony’s arms. “You’re one of the best things to ever happen to me. I just want you to know that.” 

“I love you Uncle Tony.” 

“I don’t deserve you kid,” Tony said being more open than he ever dreamed. The words came out quicker than he’d meant them to, but he wasn’t going to retract them. He meant it. 

“You don’t,” Peter snarked back. For the first time all night Tony howled with laughter. 

Yeah, this kid was everything to him. 

Everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up...Peter steps up!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets a little bit rougher than the others. There's nothing too graphic, but there is a rough moment at the end. Stay safe everyone!
> 
> ...And thanks for your comments and kudos!

Peter flopped on the couch face down abruptly planting himself on top of Tony’s lap. The man yelped in surprise. 

“Shoes off heathen!” Peter didn’t lift his head he simply toed off his shoes and nestled further into the man’s torso. “Maya, what’d you do to my kid?”

“Don’t look at me Stark. He must have spoken to like thirty different stations today at that thing. It was a junket to end all junkets.” Tony looked down at the boy curled up on the couch and chewed his lip. Since Peter had returned from that party a couple of weeks ago the kid was practically running himself ragged. He kept saying things like ‘had to’ and ‘responsibility’. Tony wasn’t sure what kind of fire was lit under the kid, but he was hoping that the kid would learn to channel his passion better.

Hypocrisy.

He gently lifted his knees to jar the boy and get his attention. “So, how’d it go?”

“Good, just so many questions. It’s like they spend hours on these things trying to pick apart everything I say.” 

“They kinda do, bud,” Tony said. “People get degrees just to grill us.”

“It wasn’t so bad, except this one reporter,” Peter said sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Tony smiled because the gesture reminded him that his teen was still his little boy. “Her name was Everheart I think. She was kind of a machine gun. Just kept going and going. No answer I gave her was good enough for her.” Tony winced. She’d been trying to ruin him for years. That was one night he’d regret forever. 

“That’s my fault kiddo. Sorry about that,” Tony said resting his hand on Peter’s head. 

“Not your fault really. I mean she could change her views if she wanted to.” Peter flopped down dramatically again. “It’s exhausting. Can I take a break after this gala?” 

“Sure bud. You know that you can take this at your own pace.”

“I want to make a difference in the world.” That got Tony’s attention. He wanted Peter to have a life that was dramatically different than his was. 

He had some things he wanted to say to Peter alone. Turning to Maya he spoke. “Maya, would you excuse us?” 

“Sure, have a good night guys. See you on Monday,” the woman said, turning to leave. 

“Hey Tesoro,” he said patting the boy’s back gently. “You know that none of this is something that you have to do right now. You can be a kid for as long as you can. That’s what I want and that’s what May wants.”

“There’s just so much to do. So many people to help. If I rest then who’ll help them?”

“You can’t help everyone, Pete.” The boy opened his mouth to retort, but Tony shook his head. “Trust me, I’ve been at this for years. You can’t help everybody. You simply can do your best.” He left it there and watched Peter’s brown orbs staring up at him like he held the wisdom of the world. 

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.” Finally, Peter nodded.

“I still want to help, just maybe do it on a smaller scale? At least until I’m older.” Tony nodded. 

“That's fine by me kid.” Tony smiled and pulled the boy in for a quick hug. “You know my dad didn’t hug me. It wasn’t something we were supposed to do as men. He wanted me to be strong and ready for business. He thought emotions would be a distraction. For a long time I believed him, but Peter you’re not like that. Your heart is the best part of you so you have to protect it no matter what. If your heart gets destroyed it will break you. So you be careful what you do with it, who you give it to, and how you handle it. Ok?” Peter nodded and leaned into Tony’s embrace. 

“Ti voglio molto bene,” Peter murmured. Tony gave the boy a strong squeeze and rested his cheek on top of Peter’s curls.

“You’re starting to outshine me with your native tongue there, kid.”

“Signorina Ruth parla solo italiano durante le nostre sessioni.”

“My poor little one,” Tony said. “Come on, get changed so we can watch a movie or something.” Peter shook his head. 

“No movies, no people, no noise,” he deadpanned. Tony snorted.

“They traumatized you, huh?”

“Completely.”

“Alright bud, how about a trip to the lab.” Peter instantly bolted upright causing Tony to have to move his head quickly or get headbutted. 

“Now, you’re speaking my language.”

~\~

Peter was exhausted. He was so glad the Junior Achievers Foundation Gala was finally over. He didn’t plan on doing any press for a really long time. He was practically dead on his feet and couldn't wait to get the itchy tuxedo off. Even though his uncle swore it was the best material it still felt like scratchy wool socks.

“Stick close and we’ll be out of here soon,” Happy said with his hand firmly on Peter’s shoulder. Other kids were still standing around talking and there were a few reporters still lingering inside, but Peter had called Tony telling him that he couldn’t take it anymore so they were leaving early.

As per the security protocols they were leaving through a side door to cut down on anything occurring. Peter could feel the tenseness of the three security guards plus Happy, but he was used to it. 

A gentle breeze hit him square in the face when he was ushered to the sleek Towncar. All he had to do now was to go home and sleep. And boy was he going to sleep. Once the door was closed he slumped backward and plucked the uncomfortable dress shoes off his feet. He heard the front door open and close quickly.

“Have a good time,” Happy asked starting the car. Peter yawned nodding. 

“Parties kinda suck. I don’t know how Uncle Tony likes these things.” Happy gave a soft chuckle glancing over his shoulder.

“He doesn’t really. It’s mostly for show.” That made sense. Peter noticed that Happy seemed to tense and go rigid. 

“Hey Happy,” Peter started before he saw the man’s eyes go wide in the rearview mirror before he turned fully. 

“Get down!” Turning his head Peter saw a group of motorcycles speeding toward them. He dove on the floor in the back of the car like he’d been trained to just as Happy peeled away from the curb. “Stay down!” Doing what he could Peter held on as tightly as his hands would allow. Happy was going faster than Peter had ever felt him go. He was making sharp turns that threw Peter around on the ground. He hit the side of the door pretty hard and winced, but he refused to cry out. Happy needed to focus. 

After several tense minutes and sharp turns, Happy breathed a sigh of relief. “Friday let Boss know we were…” A crash cut through as glass shattered everywhere. Peter’s ears rang and his head throbbed. It was like he was underwater. He tried to sit up but realized that one of his contacts had fallen out making it hard to keep his eyes open without getting serious vertigo.

“Happy, are you ok?” Peter had to confirm the driver was ok. He closed his contactless eye and tried to army crawl toward the man. “Happy?” For some reason, the man bolted upright and started to scream. 

“Run Peter!” Unable to fully grasp what was happening all Peter could do was think of the man who was also like his uncle. 

“What about you?”

“Go!” Peter tried to make his legs move, but it didn’t work. Out of nowhere, Happy’s door was yanked open and the man started to shake before he groaned and slumped over in his seat. Peter tried to not scream. Uncle Tony said that made them feel empowered, but he was terrified. He quietly hit the panic button on his watch and prayed his uncle would hurry. 

Turning around Peter tried to exit out of the passenger door only to find that it was pinned. Slowly he tried to open the other door when he realized it was already open. Time seemed to stop as a figure sauntered toward them through a cloud of smoke with a smirk and a petty confidence. 

“Thank you for the delivery Harold,” the man said smugly as he took the cigar out of his mouth. “Good work,” the man said to the freak who’d zapped Happy. “I’m sure my investors will be very appreciative.” Peter turned cold as he watched the man’s eyes land on him. “Come along Parker, we needn’t keep them waiting any longer.” 

“K-keep who?” The man smirked. 

“You see our last warning wasn’t heeded to. It seems that we must issue another one. This time though, we won’t be as gentle.” The man snapped his fingers and Peter felt himself wrenched out of the car. 

“Let me go!” The man tsked at him and waved his finger. 

“See, when you fight it makes us feel concerned. So we’ll have to take the fight out of you, huh?” Out of the side of his eye, he saw the man approach with a black stick. He realized that it wasn’t a stick at all...it was a taser. Air stuck in his throat. That’s how they’d gotten Happy.

“No!” The man smiled before pointing the baton at his torso shocking Peter. His teeth rattled in his head while the rest of him stood frozen as the current ripped through his body. When it stopped Peter went limp against the ground panting. He laid on the dirty ground just like he’d done before. This time though he was in a tuxedo and shoes that cost more than the rent for May’s old apartment yet he was still here. 

It was like nothing had changed.

He felt the man gently nudge him with his shoe. “Come on Parker, I know you’re stronger than that. You took one hell of a beating from Jorge here last year and he’s one of the toughest we have. I know a little baton didn’t take the fight of you, little Iron Man.” Peter hated that name.

“What do you want,” Peter gritted out trying to regain feeling in his limbs. 

“What I want is for the message to get through to Stark this time.” The head guy in the suit knelt down in front of Peter. “Do you think you’ll tell him the message now?” 

“I-I did,” he groaned out turning his face from the cigar smoke that was being blown his way.

“See I don’t think you did or else why would he still be running around in that iron suit of his? And why would you so clearly be out publicizing your place as the next in line? The heir apparent if I remember correctly.” The man stood up. “Well, I guess this time we’ll have to make sure the message is clear, huh? Wouldn’t want there to be any confusion.”

The two other men pulled him off of the ground and started dragging him toward some abandoned building. “Hold him,” the head creepy guy ordered. Trying everything he could think of he tried to fight back. It was just no use. His limbs felt limp and his brain was scrambled. 

He was literally at their mercy.

He was thrown on the floor like a sack of potatoes and kicked once in the ribs. He curled into a ball willing himself not to cry. He felt his suit jacket being taken off before his shirt was ripped open. The cufflinks Tony gave him were strewn across the room. Everything was happening faster than he could react to it. His arms were pulled over his head when he zip ties latch tightly around his joined wrists. This couldn’t be good. He opened his eye to see that he’d been effectively tied to a post that stood in the center of the room. He had nowhere to go. No way to get out. No one to scream to help him. He was all alone. Unable to help it, he started to cry. 

“Aww, Petey, don’t cry yet. We’ve got time for that.” The man gave a sickening laugh before waving his hand beckoning someone forward. 

“Want me to taze him again?” Peter seized in terror at the thought making his cries worse despite his best efforts. No, no, please no he thought. 

“No, I want Stark to see his kid in pain. Use the strap we used on that other kid who wouldn’t shut up. As soon as we did that, poof kid was out of the way.”

“Got it,” the gruff man said. 

“Hurry up, I’ve got a high stakes poker game in forty-five minutes.” 

“As you wish,” the man said raising the strap. Peter let out a blood-curdling scream as the first blow fell on his torso. It dug into his skin and left a searing pain with that took his breath. He’d never been hit in his life. This was worse than anything he could have ever thought of. 

“What do you want,” Peter gasped out. “I-I don’t have anything.” The creepy suit guy knelt down in front of him again and smirked. Peter tried not to flinch when the man brushed his hand against his face. 

“Ah, you see that’s where you’re wrong. You’re Stark’s boy and Stark has everything. We told you last year that we wouldn’t settle for anything less than Stark moving aside. You, my friend, have the power. You see that, right? All those interviews and magazine covers are taking the spotlight away from people who really deserve it. We’re tired of it! You hear me? Tired! We won’t live in squalor anymore. So, we figure that you could tell good ole Uncle Tony that you want him to retire. That is if you wanted to.”

“It won’t work. He won’t give in to that,” Peter said still trying to catch his breath. He was praying that Iron Man would burst through the door any minute. 

His Uncle was coming! He just knew it. 

“Well, that’s why he needs a little incentive, huh?” The man snapped his fingers. “Make it good boys. The elites are getting restless.” Peter pulled at the ties again but it was no use. All he could do was take blow after blow screaming for it to end and wondering where his uncle was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love to hear your thoughts...how are you feeling after that?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for hanging in there! I appreciate everyone's kind words. So here's an update for you!

Tony was sitting in his lab working through a new set of modifications to his suit. Peter’s recent string of nightmares had set the man on edge. It was annoying and rather uncanny but Peter’s ability to feel when something was off was shocking. The kid was almost never wrong.

...And that scared Tony. 

A lot. 

Tony was trying desperately not to be a helicopter parent, but it was hard when there were so many threats. He had a whole team dedicated to filtering out any threats that were made against Peter to see if any were valid. Each day they fielded over a hundred one of them. It made Tony tense in a way he hadn’t felt since before Ultron.

Who knew having an heir would make him exponentially happier and yet more worried than he ever knew he could be? 

“Friday, give me the render speed on the Chameleon Project Mark III.”

“32 percent. Complete render should be done by 7 am tomorrow morning.”

“Cut out the unnecessary items and break that time in half. Pete’s got his decathlon thing on Saturday and he needs it for then.” Without telling anyone Tony had come up with a plan. He’d have a miniature Iron Man suit created that would be invisible to the naked eye. It would follow Peter everywhere in passive sentry mode. He had it set to link to Peter’s watch so if anything were to occur the suit could remove Peter from the situation within a moment’s notice. He’d wished he thought of the genius idea sooner so he could have sent it with Peter to the gala, but hindsight has always been 20/20. 

“You got it.” Tony went back to tinkering and reading through the emails from Maya. Peter’s progress was remarkable. In the year since Tony acquired him Peter had jumped leaps and bounds in every subject. He was currently fluent in three languages and working on his fourth. Not to mention the kid was about to be named the Governor’s Recipient for Outstanding Academic Success. It was like no matter what the world throws at the boy, he somehow always came out on top. 

He glanced down at the picture of Peter on the side of his holotable. Tony smiled remembering the day. It was Peter’s most recent science fair when the kid had won the blue ribbon yet again. A normal kid would be cocky by now, but Peter’s smile was blinding. At first Tony wasn’t going to attend, no he wanted Peter to have the spotlight to himself. Peter surprised him by requesting that he attend citing that in previous years he’d had to go alone because his uncle passed and his aunt had to work. Tears sprung to Tony’s eyes at the request. It still amazed him that after all he’d done to the kid, Peter still chose him to be in his life. 

Every day Tony Stark was amazed by Peter Parker. 

Everyday. 

An alarm blared through the lab at a deafening pace. Causing Tony to jump. “Boss, Peter’s watch has sent an emergency distress signal. Mr. Hogan has also requested I alert you of an apparent car accident,” Friday said.

Before the AI had finished her statement Tony was already running out of the lab toward the launch pad. 

He had to find his kid!

~\~

Peter groaned on his side as they took another sharp turn. “I think we did a great job,” he heard one of the men say. 

“Shutup.”

“What? Boss wanted the kid to hurt and now he does. Maybe we’ll get a bonus.”

“You’re an idiot. He’s a child. How can you be so callous?” Peter heard the man start to argue but he tried to focus. Where were they taking him? He was in no condition to fight back. He reached for his watch to hit another signal but all he felt was his wrist. He felt like crying. They must have taken it off. 

“Look, we’ve heard Stark say the kid was just a means to an end. If he doesn’t care about him, then why should we?” That got Peter’s attention. His uncle did care about him. They were liars. He wanted to tell them that they were dumb, but all he could do was let his head fall against the cool metal beneath his head. 

~\~

It took Tony all of ten minutes to get to the landing spot where the distress signal had been sent. He saw the car instantly looking mangled. The doors were all open. He heard groaning and rushed forward. His most trusted employee was sitting in the seat slumped forward with his head on the steering wheel. “Happy!” 

“Loud, ringing,” the man groaned. Pushing himself back Tony looked into the back of the car and all he saw were Peter’s shoes. “Tony?” Rushing back to the front of the car, he leaned into the driver’s side trying to pull Happy away from the car. 

“It’s me Hap, what happened? Where’s Peter?” He was trying to stay calm, but the empty car in the back was freaking him out!

“Peter! Kid!” Happy winced. “Told him to run, didn’t listen.” Tony cursed. “Don’t feel good. Gotta find the kid.” 

“I’m going to find him, ok? Don’t worry buddy. Just sit down,” he said trying to gently lean the man against the car. “We’re gonna get you some help. The ambulance is on the way. Stay with me, buddy.” Tony was trying to control his breathing as he watched Happy start to blink rapidly. It was like the man was coming to. “Friday? Any word on Peter?” 

“No, the watch has been disabled it seems. I’m unable to find a location.” Tony closed his eyes tight. Breathe. Just breathe.

“Pete, Boss I tried. Swerved and evaded great. They had to have insiders,” Happy said before he lost consciousness again. Tony’s eyes looked around desperately for any sign of Peter. It looked like a dead end. 

“Where are you, Pete?” Tony shook his head angrily. He’d promised the kid and then this happened. He should have sent the boy somewhere safe! Not letting him go around on his own. 

So stupid! 

He had so many resources, why did he let this happen?

“Boss, it appears Peter has just been thrown out of a vehicle in front of the Tower.” The world stopped moving. All Tony could hear was his heart beating in his ears. 

“Is-is-is he ok?”

“He appears badly injured and remains unmoving, but he is breathing.” A breath finally escaped his lungs. Peter was alive. He could handle that. Tony hesitated, glancing at Happy for just a moment before he heard the sirens coming. 

“Fri, tell them everything they need to know about Happy and get him sent to the Medbay. Have a team prepped for him,” he said blasting into the air.

He had to find Peter. 

~\~

It was only minutes before Tony got to the Tower, but it felt like years. As soon as he was close enough Friday had pulled the scan up of the object slumped on the ground. Sure enough, he could see the bare feet and the distinctive curls matted against his head. 

“Peter!” He yelled as he landed right next to the boy, but he didn’t move. No, no, no! Tony’s heart stopped in his chest. “Scan Friday!” 

“He’s breathing, but is in dire need of medical attention.” 

“Is he ok to move?” 

“Yes, but his torso appears badly damaged as well as his face.” He scooped the boy into his arms quickly before blasting straight into the sky and landing on the launch pad as gently as possible. It was clear that the boy was in pain. Tony wanted to be sick as he looked at him. They must have used something tough because the skin was raw in a way Tony hadn’t ever seen before. He moved as quickly as he could through to get the boy to the Medbay. 

“Uncle Tony?” 

Glancing down he saw Peter’s brown eyes looking at him like he was on a distant planet. “Hey buddy,” he said in a voice that sounded unlike his own. 

“I knew you’d come for me,” Peter said groggily. “I told them you would,” he strained out. Tears sprung into Tony’s eyes. Not soon enough though. 

“I’m going to get you fixed up, ok? You’re gonna be good as new in no time.”

“M’k.” Tony gently set Peter on the stretcher that was set in front of him by one of the workers who’d only appeared moments later. 

“I didn’t give in. I was strong just like you in Afghanistan,” he said before passing out. Boy if that didn’t make Tony want to break down, he didn’t know what did. Peter had been targeted just like he had been. This was all his fault. 

No one could ever tell him any different. 

~\~

In the small observation room next to Peter’s bed, Tony was pacing a hole in the floor. That video was horrible. They taunted him while they hit him and kicked him when he cried. It was one of the worst things Tony had ever seen in his life. 

Peter had been begging for him and he wasn’t there. 

“We won’t stop until you step aside. We know your movements better than you. This is the last warning Stark or we’ll take you and the boy out,” the man in the video had said. “And you’ll never see it coming.” It faded to a picture of Peter smiling with his friends before it faded into one of the boy lying unconscious bleeding against the post they’d tied him to.

Tony had shattered the screen on his phone after he’d watched it the first time. It was infuriating that it couldn’t be tracked. What made it worse was that Tony felt so vulnerable. 

He hated that feeling. 

“Tones,” he heard behind him. He couldn’t bring himself to speak. Those words kept playing in his head. Over and over. A hand settled on his shoulder bringing him back to reality. “Pete’s ok man.” Turning around viciously he eyed his best friend. 

“They whipped him like a dog, Rhodes! Kid’s got bruises all over his chest and back. He was bleeding!” Tony shook his head before letting out a frustrated growl. “He was crying for me because he thought me Iron Man would save him. I didn't know where he was or that he was even taken until he was being tortured." 

“Tony, you have to calm down. Peter is here with you. He doesn’t want to be anywhere else right now.” Tony scoffed.

“Yeah right. I’m sure he’d much rather be home with his aunt sleeping in the room he grew up in.” 

“Tony…”

“He’s not ok! Stop staying that he is. He’s scared and in an ungodly amount of pain! It’s too much for a little kid Rhodes. Too much!”

“Calm down ok? Just take a deep breath. We’ll get through this. We will.” Looking at Peter lying on the hospital bed through the glass, Tony shook his head. There were bloody bandages covering his torso and the kid’s cheek was swollen and turning colors. 

He didn’t know how any of them would ever be able to move past this. 

~\~

Hours later Tony was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room staring at May while she held Peter’s hand. The boy had woken up briefly crying before May’s soft assurances had lulled him back into sleep. Her subtle touch seemed to be exactly what he needed to calm down. 

Tony shook his head. He was supposed to be apart of their family, but at this moment he felt like the worst kind of intruder. He’d forced his way into their lives and caused them nothing but hell since he’d arrived. 

He didn’t deserve to be there. 

He didn’t deserve them. 

May was just as special as Peter. She was as kind, smart, and remarkably wise. Without her, Tony wasn’t sure that Peter would have been able to develop into the heir that Tony wanted. May was like Pepper in how she kept the chaos managed in a way where everyone felt safe. It was a skill he could never replicate. 

Something had to be done. 

“Maybe you should take him and run,” Tony said with a heavy voice once May had settled back into her chair. At first, he didn’t know if May heard him, but then the red-rimmed eyes behind her glasses told him otherwise. He cleared his throat. “I’ll just say I relinquished care of him to you.” The woman’s eyes pierced his own like she was dissecting him. Time stood still for several moments then she stood up and began to walk toward him. A lump formed in his throat. He was expecting her to hit him or to swear at him but she did neither. Instead, she simply grabbed his hand. 

“This isn’t your fault Tony Stark,” she said firmly. He begged to differ. “You didn’t do this to him.”

“Ok,” he said just wanting to her leave him in his self-pity. This was obviously his fault. 

“Tony,” she started. 

“May, just take him, ok? He should have been with you all along. That’s where he belongs. Take him.” Sighing she took a seat next to him on the small chair. “Please.” 

“I can’t.” Tony felt himself getting frustrated. She’d yelled at him for months about stealing her kid and now when he tried to give him back, she was refusing? He was so annoyed. “Don’t look at me like that. If he and I leave everyone will know something happened. They’ll start digging and they’ll be looking for him on every corner. That’s not a life for Peter or for myself. We’ll all end up in trouble. You know that.” He did know that he was just hoping that she didn’t. 

“No, I’ll just say I sent him to a private school for more training and you had to go to help him adjust. That’s what they want.” She shook her head. 

“Tony, you’ve been galavanting and bragging for the last year about why you’re training him by hand. Why it’s what your father never did for you and how that’s going to make Peter better than anyone ever dreamed.” She blew out a tense breath. “And as much as I hate to admit it, he needs you to get through his. He’s in the public as much as you are now. There are things about this that you can teach him that I’ll never be able to.”

“We’ve got to do something May. They’re getting worse each time and the threats aren’t stopping.” His next sentence was on the tip of his tongue but he refused to speak it. He didn’t know if Peter could survive the next attack. “Take him and run. I’ll give you everything you need.” 

“Tony, you know how things are set up. They’ll be looking at us closely. The second he’s discovered to not be in your care they’ll put him back in the eligibility pool.” She let out a sob before pushing the rest back into her throat when Peter groaned in his sleep. They waited a couple of minutes to make sure that he was back in his slumber. “If he has to leave you have to go with him.” Tony looked up from the tile on the floor he’d been staring at. 

“What?”

“Tony, I can’t protect him like he needs. You’re the one with the resources and you can make it happen.”

“May, I can’t take him away from you.”

“It’s not forever. Just until you can find out who’s behind this.” Tony shook his head. 

“I can’t May. I just can’t. You’re his mother. I’d be cruel to take him away from you.”

“You did it before,” she said sharply. Tony felt like she’d punched him right in the gut. “That time you did it for you, but this time you’ll do it for Peter. He is my whole life so I’m asking you to protect everything I have. I’ve seen you with him Tony and you may not want to believe it, but he needs you.” Tony nodded. “He loves and adores you. I know you two will be ok because I know you’ll take care of each other.”

“It’s going to be so hard on him,” Tony pushed out. Again she placed her hand on his face.

“Tony you’re protecting him. As long as he’s with you I know he’s safe. I’ve read the reports and I’ve seen how some of these kids are treated. We can work something out so he can talk with me, but he’s better off with you. I can’t protect him the way you can. You have to know that.”

Tony did. He’d thought about it, but he never would have guessed May would be the one to voice it. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” she said wiping a tear from her eye. Turning to walk out of the room, Tony let himself fall into one of the plastic chairs in the hallway. 

“Friday, activate the Blackout Protocol.” This was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lovez ze comments so drop one if you're so inclined. 
> 
> ...next up Tony and Petey go on the run.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's getting longer between updates, I've been working through some things as far as the story goes....but there's a nice surprise at the end for you.

The first time Peter remembered waking up, was to the sound of someone crying. It sounded pained and fearful yet it seemed a million miles away. He felt a familiar hand settle against his cheek, making it feel cool before brushing his hair from his face. 

“I’ll see you soon baby. I love you so much.” He wasn’t sure, but it didn’t sound like a normal goodbye. Groaning the pain became too much for him so he allowed himself to fall asleep again. 

The next time Peter woke up his head didn’t feel as heavy, but it definitely felt he hadn’t had water in years. 

“Thirsty,” Peter croaked out. He felt like his head was swimming on a wooden spool and his whole torso felt like it was on fire. Within moments he felt a familiar hand under his chin. 

“Hang on bud, I’ve got you some water.” A straw was pressed to his lips and he greedily slurped down the life-saving liquid. “Slow down you’ll make yourself sick.” Peter bit down on the straw when he felt it trying to be removed from his lips. “Ok, snapper you can have a little more. Just go slow, ok?” Peter did his best, but he felt like he hadn’t had water in days. When the straw stopped producing any liquid, he let out a contented sigh. “How are you feeling?” Finally cracking his eyes open, Peter saw the familiar face of one Tony Stark. 

“Feel weird, like floating,” Peter said. “And my back hurts a lot.”

“Those sound pretty accurate. You went through quite the ordeal, bud.” Peter yawned. “Get some rest and we’ll talk more when you wake up. Ok?” Before he could respond he was out again. 

The last time Peter woke up after what felt like years he finally felt like his head was on straight. 

Thank God. 

Slowly he opened his eyes. What was before him made no sense. The walls weren’t white and he wasn’t hearing the soft hum of machines. He’d been in the hospital, right? He planted his hands on the bed and pushed but realized that was a mistake as soon as he did it. Pain shot through him causing him to let out a distressed whimper and fell back onto the bed. 

He heard footsteps shuffling across the room. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“My back really hurts, Uncle Tony. Like really bad.” Even with his eyes closed, he knew that his uncle was looking at him with those soft eyes that only Peter saw. 

A soft cool hand landed on Peter’s cheek. “Do you remember what happened?” Tears sprang to his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Pete. I wish you never would have had to deal with that.” Peter didn’t want to talk about it or even think about it ever again. 

“Where are we?” Peter saw a flash of confusion cross his uncle’s face before he settled on one of nonchalance. 

“We’re in St. Louis.” Peter flinched and immediately winced when the blankets scratched his back.

“Hey, careful guy. Just rest for now.”

“I can’t rest! Why are we in St. Louis! What about school?" That hurt he tried to lower his voice. "I’ve got to get to the lab where my projects are! Ned, I haven’t talked to Ned!”

“Relax, Pete. Please take a breath.” Peter was frantic. 

“Where’s Aunt May? I need her.” 

“Peter,” he heard his uncle say. Accepting defeat Peter dropped flat onto the bed with his chest heaving and his thoughts buzzing. 

“I want to go home. I want May,” he said face muffled into the pillow. 

“I know.” 

“But we can’t, huh?” His uncle shook his head. 

“We’ve got to go away for a while, bud.” 

“Because of me?” 

“No, not because of you Peter. Never because of you.” 

“Sure.” 

“Look at me, Pete.” Upon finally looking up he saw his uncle was giving him a pained smile. “This wasn’t your fault. They took you. They hurt you. It’s their fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry for something that had nothing to do with you. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to.” 

“I know. It’s what being an adult is, right?” Tony leaned forward from his position on the other bed.  
“You’re not an adult though. I just need you to be strong right now. I’m taking all of the big stuff, I just need you to hold on so I can fix this. You trust me to do that, right?” 

“Yes.”

“Amor di zio amore senza limiti.” Peter let his face curve into a smile before he winced.

“Ugh, my stomach hurts really bad. Can you help me sit up?” Tony instantly reached across the bed and gently helped Peter pull himself into a sitting position. He pulled the hem of his t-shirt up and saw nothing but bandages on his torso. “It was pretty bad, huh?” 

“Yeah.”

“You’ll get them, right?” 

“I sure will. I won’t rest until I do.” Peter accepted that as a fact. 

“So what’s the plan?”

“Let’s get cleaned up first, ok?” 

“You’re stalling,” Peter said unimpressed.

“Sure am, but you haven’t bathed in days so I win ‘cause you’re ripe.” Rolling his eyes Peter stood up hoping to finally get the grossness off of him.

~\~

Peter was leaning backward on his side watching a movie. The pain wasn’t as bad when he was on his side. Thank God. He was so sick of lying on his stomach.

He heard the shower stop before the door popped open revealing a very new looking Tony Stark. 

"What happened to your face?” 

“You’re so flattering.” Peter couldn’t stop staring at the mass that covered the lower half of his uncle’s face. “It’s just a beard kid.”

“I know that. Why are you growing one?” 

“Until we can figure this out, we’ve got to hide.” That caught Peter off guard. Like he knew they couldn’t go home, but why did they need to disguise themselves? 

“Why are we hiding? I mean can't we just go to one of your other houses?”

“I don’t know if they’ll be able to track you there.” This was so crazy. “So we’re going off the grid.”

“So, we’re hiding. Ok. I can do that. What do I need to do? You’re getting a beard, I need to hide too, right?”

“Yep, we’re going to dye our hair...blonde.” Peter’s jaw went slack. Blonde? He had to be kidding.

“Why blonde? I’ll look like a vampire.”

“We’re hiding. No one will expect a blonde. We’ve got to make you look less like you and blonde is the best way to do that.” Peter made a face. 

“Blonde, though? Can’t we just shave my head or like a buzz cut or something?” 

“You’ve seen your ears right? You’d be found tomorrow with those satellite dishes.” Peter shook his head feeling helpless all of a sudden.

“I like my hair the way that it is. Isn’t there another way?” 

“It’s either this or I have to send you to Maine Preparatory.” Peter went cold. 

“You promised me I wouldn’t have to go there,” he said hating how his voice was trembling. 

Tony leaned down in front of Peter like adults do when they’re talking to little kids. “I know, that’s why we’re doing this. I want you with me, ok?” Peter nodded wiping his eyes. When did he even start crying? A knock came to the door. Turning Peter’s eyes grew wide and he saw Tony turn his watch activating the familiar wrist gauntlet. 

His heart was thumping rapidly in his chest. Peter felt himself let out a breath of relief when he saw Tony’s shoulders relax. A dark-skinned woman with a slick bob entered the room just in front of Tony. “I’ve got a package for Max Boswell?” Tony nodded.

“That’s me.” Ok, now Peter was beyond confused. There was clearly something he didn’t know. 

“And there was a request to do some hair maintenance.” The woman wheeled a bag into the room before Tony closed the door and locked it behind her. She stuck her hand out. 

“I’m Tara. You’re Greg?” Peter glanced at Tony who nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Great. Let’s get started, shall we?”

~\~

It was just after midnight when Tara Rhodes departed with a smile and a hug she said her brother requested be given up on her exit. The packages she left were enough clothing to get them where they needed to go. Tony sorted through most of the boxes while Tara was doing the arduous process of lighting Peter’s very brown curls. 

He found Peter staring at his new hair in the mirror. “You look like a rock star, bud.” The scowl that met him caused him to instantly snort and ruffled the kid’s much shorter locks. 

“I thought you said my ears stuck out too much to cut my hair off?” 

“Pete, it works. It’s like a style or something. You’ve still got plenty of hair on the top. Curls still fall into your eyes just like you like. You look great. Trust me, you’ll fit right in. Hey, I went blonde too, so relax.” Tony never thought his skin tone would go for blonde, but the mixture of blonde and his natural brown worked well for him. He looked very much like a hipster lumberjack and he was ok with that. He didn’t think anyone would be able to recognize him and that was a plus.

Peter huffed and slowly made his way back to his bed. “So I’m Gregory and you’re Maxwell?” 

“Yep.”

“Those names sound super douchey. Like we’re some aristocrat elites,” Peter said still clearly annoyed. 

“Or casual folk. They’re pretty common names you know,” Tony said flopping onto his own bed and sorting through the boxes yet again. 

“Yeah, from a small town in Maryland?” Tony shrugged. “And you’re my dad?”

“Are you ok with that?” Peter wasn’t sure if he was ok with that. He’d had a dad and another uncle…his actual uncle who was pretty much his dad. Calling Tony dad would be weird. Tony wasn’t his dad. He was his uncle or for better term his mentor. Even if the lines of their relationship were blurry sometimes he knew one thing; Tony wasn’t his father. “In my defense when I had Pepper make these identities I never thought we’d have to use them,” Tony said breaking into his thoughts. 

“N-no, it’s ok. I don’t mind.” Tony nodded, but Peter could tell the man didn’t believe him.

“You could call me something else if you wanted.”

“Like what?”

“Well padre or babbo that’s an old school Italian one, uh or we could make something up. It's up to you. The story is you’re my stepson so you in case anything happens we’ll have a reason why our blood types are different.” Peter made a face. “What? What’s wrong?” 

Peter opened his mouth and closed it trying to gather his words. “This is all so weird. Like it’s so well thought out.”

“That’s exactly right. You always need a plan in case you have to lay low. I learned that after the Mandarin. Make sure you remember that ok? Always have cash, a place to hide out, and another identity in case things get hairy. If you’re lucky, you'll have a girl as good as Pepper who can come with you.”

“Never thought you’d teach me something like that, but ok.” Peter looked around at the various bags that were being packed. “Is she going to come?” 

“I said lucky enough kid. My luck ran out long ago.” Peter felt the feeling in the room deflate. Like suddenly the weight of everything was suddenly thrust upon them. 

Nothing would ever be the same. 

They were about to leave everything behind them. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Tony glanced at Peter before narrowing his eyes.

“What do you been pal?” 

Peter shifted from side to side in nervousness. “Well um, you’re leaving a lot behind. I know you’re busy with the company and the Avengers. You don’t need to worry about me.” 

“Are you serious?” Looking up Peter was gaping like a fish. The rosy color had come quickly to his uncle’s face. “Kid, I’ve told you over and over that you’re one of the most important things in my life. You think I’d do this if I wasn’t sure?” 

“I just don’t get why you’d want to. You could just send me away and you’d be fine.” 

“You really think you mean so little to me? Of this? Of our relationship? Do you really think I'd let some group of freaks out there hunt you like you're an animal and just watch?” Without waiting for Peter to formulate a response, Tony walked into the restroom and closed the door. Peter gently curled his arms around his side. He gritted his teeth through the pain when he touched the raw areas. He just wished everything would stop. Tears started to leak out of his eyes. He didn’t mean for his tears to turn into full out sobs but they came nonetheless. 

He’d lost so much in his life. 

His parents, Ben, now May, Maya, Ned, and his home. 

He hadn’t asked for any of this and yet here he was. 

“It’s ok bud, I’m here with you.” Peter had no idea when Tony had sat next to him, but he leaned into the man’s embrace easily. He was so tired of being strong. “I’m going to be with you, Peter. We’re in this together.” 

“I’m scared,” Peter whimpered out. "I want May and I just want to go home."

“I know." 

"I'm really scared." 

"I am too.” That caught Peter off guard and he looked up at his uncle. 

“Why?”

“Buddy, you got hurt because of me. All I want is for you to be safe.” Tony sighed and rubbed his free hand down his face. “I only have a few things out here with us. It’s going to be hard, but I can’t fail. I can't let them hurt you ever again.” Something tightened in Peter's chest. Tony was scared for him? 

“I didn’t know you got scared.” The confused look Tony gave Peter shocked him.

“Everyone gets scared.”

“I just didn’t think about it I guess. I mean I know you get scared, but I don’t know. You just seem so strong.” Tony’s hold tightened around Peter. 

“I guess that’s just me trying to protect you. If you see that I’m scared, you’ll get scared. I don’t want that.” 

“That’s weird. I do the same thing with May,” Peter said quietly staring at his basketball shorts. 

“That’s because you love her. Nothing wrong with wanting to protect those you care about.” Peter wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Where are we going that no one will know us?” He glanced up to see his snowcapped uncle smiling down at him.

“Montana.”

“Why there?”

“Who’d expect us to go there?” That made sense. “It’s a small little patch of land and a gross little town. I doubt they’re watching us on the news. They’ll be too busy messing with their cattle. Lots of ranches there. We’ll be able to keep a low profile and blend in. So let’s get immersed in these new names, ok Greg?” 

Peter smiled at the man. “Sure, Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome fluffers. ;)


	16. Chapter 16

The tv was playing softly in the background while Peter worked on ordering items for their new house. They were yet again sitting in another gross hotel resting up and waiting for the sun to go down. 

It had been a week since they’d left New York and they were finally feeling some relief. Their appearance was altered and they hadn’t been noticed by anyone. They were finally able to relax. Well, relax as much as you could when you were living a life that wasn’t your own. For now, he was Gregory Max Boswell the son of Maxwell and Katie. The thought made his stomach churn. Essentially these people would only be what he and Tony made them. 

Laughter came from the tv made him realize that he was that he’d gotten sidetracked and hadn’t even made a dent in the purchase requests. Tony had asked him to order some basic items they could pick up at their next stop. So far Peter ordered them several TV’s, some tools, three wireless routers, and several security cameras, but he was sure that he was forgetting something. 

Peter turned when he heard a set of keys jingling in the door before it popped open and his uncle slid inside. It was still weird to see the man with blonde hair, but Peter had to admit that it suited him. 

“Hey buddy,” the man greeted.

“Hey,” Peter threw back gently. In short, his uncle looked like hell. There were deep bags under the man’s eyes and he was swaying slightly on his feet. “Are you ok?” The man hummed in response and quickly walked to the mini fridge and downed an entire Gatorade in five gulps. “You don’t look ok.” Peter stood to his feet. “You look pretty crappy actually.”

“Thanks, Greg,” the man shot back. Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly before turning to the sink to wash his face. “Are you packed? We’re leaving as soon as I take a quick shower.” 

“I am, but um why don’t we stay a bit longer. You barely got any sleep today,” Peter said, biting his lip. There’d been a terrible storm all day and the thunder that shook the small room was enough to keep them both up much longer than they wanted. 

“We can’t stay in one place too long. I’ve told you that,” the man said with a tired exasperation.

“I know, but we stayed in St. Louis for almost a week.”

“You were still healing.”

“And you’re sick now,” Peter replied logically. “Please?” 

“Greg, it’s just as dangerous for us to be out in the open as it is for us to stay in one place longer than necessary. When we get to Montana I promise you I’ll rest up for days and days.” 

“But,” Peter started before a glare hit him dead in the face. Slumping he turned and grabbed his backpack off the ground. 

“You can take your bags and some of the food, but I’ll get the duffel bags.” Peter opened his mouth to protest but he was met with another glare from the mirror. “Your ribs are still healing.” Peter sighed they weren’t even hurting that badly right now.

“Fine. Is the car out front?”

“Blue truck in front of the door.”

“When’d we get a truck? Why’d we get a truck?”

“Farm country....trucks are useful. We need to blend in.”

“Have you ever driven a truck?”

“Pack the car, kid,” Tony replied with mock irritation making Peter smile. Yeah, he’d won that one. 

~\~

Tony yawned and stretched his limbs. After sleeping in the Walmart parking lot for roughly ninety minutes he was feeling much better. He had to admit that Peter had been right. It only took him practically swerving off the road at one point it to admit that he desperately needed to sleep.

Man did he feel so much better.

The cough was still there, but he didn’t feel like rotten garbage anymore. He yawned again ready to get on the road. At this rate, they could be in South Dakota in a few hours. 

“Greggy, you are a genius. We’ve lost some time, but I think we can get you behind the wheel a bit if you’re up for it.” He was expecting a squeal but all he got was silence. Maybe Peter had fallen asleep himself. Lord knew the kid could use it. Peter may not be the tallest or strongest, but he had the biggest heart Tony had ever seen. No matter how much pain he was in, he always stayed awake with Tony and kept him up during their marathon across the country. It kept Tony sane in ways that he didn’t know he needed. Rubbing his eyes he realized that Peter was probably just as tired as he was. He should have definitely listened to the kid. 

They were both exhausted and what would a couple more hours of rest have done for them?

Tony let himself nod off again and woke up feeling more refreshed than he had in a while. “Greg, you still sleep bud?” Tony yawned and leaned his neck side to side stretching it out. Man, the kid was sleeping like a rock. He figured that Peter just enough reason to be scared and worn down as Tony was if not more. If that was the case he was going to let the boy sleep as long as he could. Tony turned around in the truck and saw an empty place where his kid was supposed to be. “Greg!” Jumping out of the truck he opened the door frantically before feeling his heart burst through his chest. A slip of paper flickered in the wind catching his eye. 

Went to get snacks for the road. Be right back-Greg.

Tony was going to kill him. 

He slammed the door to the truck closed and stomped all the way to the front of the store. How many times did he tell the kid they were hiding? They needed to keep their faces off security cameras. All Tony could think about was Peter was in the store with hundreds of people all alone and unprotected. 

Anything could happen.

He was practically running up the aisles turning looking for the kid. “Greg!” With each aisle that he didn’t see him, Tony’s heart rate was increasing. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, he spotted Peter coming out of the personal hygiene aisle with a smile on his face. Something snapped inside of Tony. Peter was smiling while the man was sick with worry. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Judging by how Peter jumped he knew the boy hadn’t seen him coming. 

“D-dad? Uh, what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing? I’m looking for you!” He reached out and grabbed Peter’s arm tightly. “Are you crazy? Do you know what could have happened? You don’t have a phone on you and I had no idea where you went or if you were ok!” He heard Peter whimper under his hold, but he didn’t care. Peter needed to know that this wasn’t ok. “What were you thinking?” He knew his voice was loud and judging by how Peter’s eyes were darting around, people were watching them. 

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered out. “Please let me go.” Tony sighed and did just that. God, he’d been so close to being like Howard. When he looked down at Peter the boy had tears coming down his cheeks. 

Great. 

“I’m sorry, buddy. I was just scared.”

“Can we go, please?” Tony looked down at the cart Peter had gathered and felt like even more of a jerk. There were snacks, Gatorade, some cough drops, and Dayquil. The kid had gone shopping for him. 

Peter hadn’t waited for a response before he left everything in the cart and started toward the front of the store. Tony followed behind him and before he knew it they were at the truck. 

“Greg,” Tony started. Peter opened the door to the back of the truck and slid inside. 

“Please just leave me alone.”

~\~

After driving in silence for over an hour, Tony was tired of waiting. He hated that the kid was upset but he hated himself more for making the kid upset. Maybe they should just stop. He could leave a little early tomorrow to make up for the lost time. 

“Dad?” Tony stiffened at the tone of Peter’s voice. 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you uh see that car behind us?” Tony glanced in the rearview mirror. He had noticed it, but he was hoping it was a coincidence.  
“What about it?”

“It’s been following us since we left Walmart.” Tony tried to stay calm. 

“Are you sure?” Glancing again in the mirror he squinted to see the car. How was Peter able to see it? Shrugging he switched lanes again and sure enough when he glanced up again the car had moved as well. 

“See? I’ve been watching it for almost an hour. When you change lanes so does it.” Tony felt his heart rate pick up. 

“Ok, don’t worry. I’ll handle this. Is your seatbelt on?” As soon as Peter gave him an affirmative, Tony slowly pushes a button and revs the engine. He watches the numbers on the speedometer gradually increase before he quickly shifts lanes again. He can hear Peter small gasps of panic in the background, but he’s trying to drown it out. “Come on, come on,” he mutters before a white flash consumes them. “Yes!” Instantly he slams on the breaks pulling over onto the shoulder of the road. He kills the lights and prays that it’s working properly because if it doesn’t...they’re sitting ducks. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Get out of sight,” he said sharply. “Now!” The boy instantly obeyed and Tony did the same. He counted to ten before peaking at the special mirror he’d installed to allow him a full view of the car. 

Holding his breath he saw the car in question slow down before speeding past them and out of sight. Tony let out a breath of relief. 

“You can sit up, bud.” Peter lifted himself up and smiled. “Are you ok?” The boy nodded, letting the loose curls fall into his eyes. 

“That was scary.” 

“I know,” Tony sighed. “They know this truck now. We’re going to have to work around this now.” 

“Can we paint it or something?” 

“Do you have like twenty gallons of paint?” Peter snorted.

“We can use paint primer or maybe like use the um panels to project a different color that it’s not really.” Tony hummed. This kid was a literal genius. Tony pulled up his phone and keyed in on a certain code in the truck’s makeup.

“What color Greg?” 

“Green?” 

“Coming up,” Tony said smiling. He slid his phone into his pocket when he was sure the change had taken effect. “I’m thinking we should keep moving so they don’t circle back looking for us.”

“Maybe we can go on an alternative route? Like through Nebraska instead of South Dakota?” 

“That will take us longer you know. Can you handle another day of driving?” 

“I’ll manage,” the boy said. Tony reached between the front seats and slipped his hand on the back of Peter’s neck. He pulled the boy’s head close to him and kissed his forehead. 

“You’re a good boy.” Tony turned around and turned the truck back on. “Why don’t you come up here and keep me company?” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, climb up.” Peter maneuvered his legs over the console and slid into the passenger seat. As soon as the boy clicked his seatbelt in place Tony eased the truck back onto the road with a smile on his face. Things weren’t perfect, but they were doing pretty well. “It’s been an hour of silence, say something to keep me up.”

Peter leaned forward and took a drink from his water bottle. He opened his mouth like a guppy making Tony smile. “Come on, spit it out, kid.”

“I’m sorry about earlier. I put us in danger. It was dumb,” Peter said. 

“No, bud. It’s ok. I made a mistake. I should have listened to you. I was tired and not feeling well. You wouldn’t have tried to help me like that if I hadn’t been so stubborn. I just wanted you to be safe.”

“I am safe.”

“Right when we’ve got people chasing us.”

“No, I mean when I’m with you I know I’m safe. That’s all that matters.” 

“Thanks, bud.” Peter smiled happily and let his eyes fall back down to his tablet screen. “Working on your backstory?”

“Yeah, I uh don’t want to make too many mistakes.”

“It’s ok if you do. We’ll figure it out,” Tony said. He knew Peter had a tendency to stress and that was the last thing he needed to add to the kid’s list of issues. 

“I know, but we’ve given up so much already. I just don’t want us to have to move again if I say something dumb.” Tony sighed. He was regretting being so open with Peter. He’d have to figure some things out, but for right now he was going to enjoy his kid. 

“So what street did you grow up on?”

“Leander?”

“What’s your birthday?” 

“June 10th.” 

~\~

A couple of hours later, Peter found himself staring at the face of yet another moderate hotel room. His uncle was in the shower and Peter had his pajamas on ready for bed. He was so excited to finally rest, even if it was just for a couple of hours. He glanced at the case that held his contacts and blew out a rough breath. 

For as long as he could remember he’d always needed glasses or contacts to see, but as of the last couple of days, he hadn’t needed them at all. 

He wasn’t sure what it meant or how it happened, but he knew that something was different he just wasn't sure how different.


End file.
